Felo de Se
by GaleSynch
Summary: AU: FemSasuke. Mokuton!Naruto. All she had was her hate and her memories of the dead until a blundering blonde Senju stumbled into her life. FemSasu/NaruSasu. NaruFemSasu.
1. Meeting

**AN**

I've been wanting to read more FemSasu fics and when I saw Urau's SenjuNaruto/FemSasu implication of a pairing, I got the idea for this - I borrowed some aspects of his/her story and permission had been granted. I know there's, like, a few more Senju!Naruto stories. But tis' different, I won't start at Naruto's birth and childhood - nor would I alternate his personality too much like one of the Mokuton!Naruto stories out there. The pairings, as stated in the summary will be NaruFemSasu. I don't know about the others though, you can request and if I like it, I'll include it here.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything you recognize.

**Warnings:** Blood, violence, gore. And some gender-bending.

**Review!**

* * *

**Felo de Se**

**Prologue: Familiar Face**

A strange sense of urgency filled his veins, pushing him to run harder and faster; his mind screeched at him to keep running or _he'll lose her_. And for some strange reason he hadn't even begun to comprehend, he was terrified at the thought of losing her. He wondered who this 'her' was, the only female in his life who meant so much to him was his mother, best friend Haruno Sakura and sweet girlfriend Hyuuga Hinata.

All in all, life with the three of them and his senseis and friends were awesome. Or, so he fooled everyone into believing and how everyone fooled him into living this joke of a life. He knew something was wrong, knew that it had all started — this strange, gaping abyss in his chest that had kept stretching and would never patch itself up, and it wasn't because of physical injuries either — three years ago when he woke up in the hospital with the three most important person in his life hovering above him, tears in their eyes.

When he'd first woken up, he could only recall his name, his face, childhood and family and this pale girl who's features were so blurry but he knew he had to find her, hold her close or he'd be forever lost.

He lost her, and now, he was still lost in this aching and gaping loneliness. Hinata-chan always tried to be there, always reassured him and would tell him everything was okay; would hug and kiss him. Try being the keyword because he always moved out of range, his heart aching.

The Hyuuga was not the person he wanted to hold close to his heart. There was someone else, he knew, just knew but he didn't dare ask. At least he knew her name, at least, what he thought was her name. Though Sasuke seemed too masculine to be a girl's name, it'd suffice for now. He only knew her name because he'd screamed her name when he woke up from coma he was put into three years ago; it was just a nightmare but it felt terribly real like a long, forgotten memory, and _she was walking away_.

What terrified him more, though, was the fact that the memory of the girl and her face were fading. No, the memories were never present in the first place, it was blurred but he thought he could remember when he was holding her close, fighting her and this one time _when their lips met_. The memory of their kiss was the most exhilarating memory and the one filled with emotions: passionate, fiery and aroused. Unlike how he'd thought it was _wrong, disgusting and cheating_ when he kissed Hinata.

His family and friends always told him that this suspicious 'Sasuke' character was just a figment of his imagination and always told him to forget it. Ever since he first made the mistake of mentioning her, he'd been getting appointments from Inoichi Yamanaka, mind-expert. And every time, after the appointment, the memory of the pale girl got dimmer that it was barely in his grasp. So he lied and pretended that he'd forgotten as he'd predicted, the appointments stopped completely — what followed was his departure from Konoha (he had a feeling that the girl of his dreams had left the village as well, but in a more aggresice manner than this) to train with Ero-sennin. The appointments and the dulling of his memory of her, made him believe that everyone wanted him to forget the girl of his dreams.

Yeah, right; trying to make him forget her was like trying to make him forget his dream of being Hokage, his life goal. _She's also your life goal, you have to find her_, his subconscious said and he did not disagree.

His agreement with his mind was what made him disobey his mother (who was the Hokage as well), argue with his girlfriend (soon to be ex-girlfriend, hopefully), and force his way into this mission with Yamato-sensei and Sakura-chan, though his so-called best friend who had been lying to him all this while looked guilty and panicked.

Usually, he would've inquired her with concern but right now, the girl of his dreams takes precedence.

He kicked another door down, panting and inhaling; the familiar scent of smoke and strawberry milk invaded his nose, one he faintly recalled having gotten a whiff of scent when he'd been very close to Sasuke who was not a figment of his imagination. And no Yamanaka in the world would make him forget her.

He grinned, following the scent and the familiar electrifying and fiery and dark chakra; he was close and the thought sent an exhilarating shiver down his spine.

"Naruto!" his pink-haired teammate — could she still be considered his best friend after the lie she'd told him, let him live a life for three whole fucking years and _letting Sasuke down_how long had she waited? — called from behind him. "Wait for us! You can't see her —!"

He found his arm wrenched back but he didn't stop struggling forward, towards where the underground cavern exit was and where sunlight filtered in and where she was perched, _waiting _— he was so, so damn sorry he took so fucking long.

_Three years?_ he could imagine her voice, cold and disappointed though her face was as hard and dark as stone. _What have you been doing?_

_Sorry_, he could only think to respond. But at least, he was coming now.

"What about Hinata-chan?! She'd be so heartbroken!" Naruto glanced back at Sakura, stopping his struggle for a moment; his eyes were hard and determined but his gaze was still warm and kind, just a detached sort, found on a man who was only concentrated with one goal in mind.

He offered her an empty smile. "I'll deal with Hinata-chan once I find Sasuke, okay? She's more important." And with not-so-surprising strength, ripped himself out of her grip and lunged forward.

"You'll just be disappointed!" Sakura screamed at his back as she ran after him, leaving behind two men whom were both equally baffled and confused, Yamato and Sai though the latter didn't seem to care much at all.

_What sort of history does Team Seven has?_ was undoubtedly going through Yamato's mind as he rushed after his wayward subordinates. The temporary team captain of Team Seven was momentarily blinded, he raised his hand to shield his eyes from the sun, squinting to see what had Naruto's attention, what had made the usually goofy, cheerful, and serene Senju so aggressive, what made him snap back at Sakura and place Hinata second. He thought those two were precious to him and he would never ever raise his voice at them!

A pale raven-haired teenage girl, stood on one of the many boulders surrounding them, her onyx hair gaining a blue undertone under the sunlight. Her eyes were as dark as obsidian, cold and hard and sharp; beautiful aristocrat features only found on Uchihas was splashed by sunlight giving her an ethereal air around her. The white kimono she wore which ended at her back was extremely low-cut, revealing only her rather generous cleavage which was bandaged and she wore some sort of blue skirt with black tights and sandals. To cut a long story short, she was beautiful, definitely someone who would attract any man's attention.

But the attention Naruto was paying her was different. It was one of recognition, longing and confused love. This wasn't the gaze of a lustful or crushing man, but someone who was seriously in love.

"Uchiha... Sasuke."

Sakura watched with mounting dread and guilt as Naruto murmured the Uchiha's name; knowing that he was lost along with the other girl in their own little world which would accept no one else. Damn it, all their work — and how would Naruto react once he found out what they did?

But the thought of Naruto being furious at them was drove away when a blinding grin blossomed on his face. "Sasuke!" he yelled with joy. "I finally found you!"

"Naruto!" hissed Sakura, panicked, sweat beaded down her forehead as she caught Naruto's arm and tried to pull him back with her super-strength. But the Senju refused to budge, channeling chakra to his feet and standing still.

Touching Naruto, Sakura realized, was the wrong thing to do in front of Sasuke who was now glaring at her. A chill of fear shot down her back as the fully developed Sharingan spin to life and glared at her; the only who she didn't glare at was Naruto but she shot him a brief curious look before she concentrated her killing intent on them all.

"Impressive display of power, Uchiha," remarked Sai, his empty smile carved perfectly on his face. "My name is Sai and I am meant to be your replacement in this former team of yours." Sasuke's gaze hardened and honed in on him but if the male shinobi noticed, he did not back down or show any signs he'd caught her attention. "Why don't you give Naruto-kun a hug like, reunited lovers do in the books I read?" he asked, sounding genuinely curious. "Do you, perhaps not love him anymore? He loves you still, you know, though that Hyuuga has been latching on to him ever since he'd return to the village. But I think Naruto-kun is more than ready to ditch that Hyuuga for you, right —"

Sakura felt like punching her new teammate for speaking out of line; great, judging from how Sasuke's Sharingan was spinning agitatedly, she did not appreciate the info of Hinata at all.

But unexpectedly, she ignored him and focused on Naruto, and she smiled: the smile was almost like Sai's empty one, but this was cold and a twisted sense of longing. Then in the next blink of an eye, the Uchiha was gone. Sakura gasped sharply, turning around to see the Uchiha had an arm slung around the Senju's shoulders.

The raven pressed the blonde's head to the crook of her neck. "I've missed you, you know?" she drawled, chuckling but her laughter terrified Sakura; it was dark and filled with malicious intent. "But you didn't come after me. What kept you so long?" Her other hand went to her chokuto. "I thought you'd find me here and take me back like you promised me too."

"I'm sorry, I — "

"— don't want to hear excuses, dope," snarled Sasuke, pulling back from the perverse act of a hug and drawing her weapon, infused with her chakra. "I'm done playing, Senju, let's do it like old times!"

When the battle started, Sakura was left wondering how the situation came to this. It must've started three years ago, when she first made Genin and was assigned her team...

**Chapter One: Team Meeting**

At the age of twelve, going on thirteen soon, Haruno Sakura didn't know much about love.

She knew love from and for her family and friends. She knew the bond and platonic love they shared. But she knew nothing about true love or the feeling of falling love. She'd read the novels and stories and someday, she hoped she could feel the same: the feeling of a heart beating fast when said special someone came near.

Sakura sighed, looking at her face in the mirror. Frowned and adjusted her ninja headband on her head again. She patted her pastel hair to make sure her arched bangs weren't going to fall anytime soon. As per usual, she frowned when she saw her overlarge forehead but there was nothing she could do about it. She stared at her reflection in the mirror and instantly picked up the fake pink blush on the skin.

Her mother said she was their pretty little girl.

She was pretty just as her best friend, Ino was pretty. She knew they were both pretty enough for boys to notice them—and they sometimes compete to see who could score more boys. But the attention they got was never enough to match hers.

Uchiha Sasuke.

The most beautiful kunoichi in Konohagakure... according to the votes the girls' club's votes result. Most of the boys vote for her. Ino simply burned with jealousy but the Yamanaka knew she would never be able to beat the Uchiha unless the latter suddenly had some sort of skin disease that would corrode her skin.

Sakura was jealous too but she just never showed it as much. How could anyone not be jealous of her natural beauty?

Sasuke's hair was messily cropped short and it looked like a duck's butt most of the time, she didn't have make-up (Sakura doubted she knew the meaning of such a product) and she didn't fawn or gush over boys.

All her eyes had space for was training and getting stronger.

Training. Getting stronger: these two words reminded Sakura that she was on the same team as Sasuke. Which meant that her weakness would be even more abstract.

The Uchiha hadn't been happy that they'd been grouped together and the only reason she hadn't snapped yet was because they had another teammate coming from outside the village.

Sakura sighed again before she slapped her cheeks to regain more confidence—it always made girls prettier, Ino always says—then she stepped out of her room to face a new day.

Sakura's enthusiasm drained a little when she noticed that she was alone. She wavered, the self conscious her doubted that she had heard right and that she was silly to wait alone here for people who might never show up and what if its a prank—

Sakura relaxed immensely when a familiar figure came into view. Sasuke spared her brief glance before she settled herself underneath the shade the tree provided, closing her eyes and leaning against it. Sakura had to tear her gaze away from the sight, her cheeks flushed she wondered what was wrong with her?

She wondered is this was what people called falling in love. She didn't know her sexual interest lies in but things would've been so much better had Sasuke been a girl. She wondered was Sasuke a boy in some alternate version; oh how she wished she could trade places with her alternate self.

She could practically imagine herself and male Sasuke under the tree and—

Tentative footsteps approached them. Sakura glanced up and all thoughts of male Sasuke drained away to be replace by a cute boy. She studied the boy intensely, noting the odd markings on both his cheeks: thin three whisker marks on each cheek, leaves and petals decorating the line in a way that reminded her of morning glory. Blue eyes the epitome of the bright sky above their heads now, healthy tan skin, and a head full of sunny spikes. An easy and welcoming grin stretched on his face.

Sakura thought he was kinda girlish. Well, duh; what sort of guy has flowery decorations on his face, had his hair tied back with a pink hairband and what was that thorny long stem of a rose curled around his body?

"Uh, hey," he clapped his hands together as if nervous to face the girls before him. "I'm your new teammate. My name's Senju Naruto and someday, I'm going to be a Hokage –ttebayo!"

Senju? Sakura snuck a quick glance at Sasuke's face, noting that she was alert and studying the newcomer with an unreadable emotion on her face. She knew history; heck, everyone knew the long and complicated history between the Senju and Uchiha clan. Sakura swallowed thickly when she realized she'd be stuck between two powerful individuals. Undoubtedly, the Senju was powerful as well despite his down-to-earth (haha) personality.

"So..." His clear blue eyes examined both girls, his future teammates but Sakura didn't miss how his gaze lingered particularly longer on Sasuke — boys, Senju or not, tend to do that. He struggled but words failed him and the three stare at one another.

A long silence ensued.

The Uchiha gave a soft 'hnn' before turning away. The Senju pouted at the negative response he received. "Will it kill you guys to introduce yourself?" he whined.

"We're girls," Sakura spoke up sullenly.

"Fine — may I know your names know princesses?" Naruto amended, rolling his eyes.

"I'm Haruno Sakura," the pastel-haired girl said, smiling tentatively. She chanced a glance at the icy Uchiha and knowing that the Uchiha scion wouldn't be introducing herself anytime soon, said, "And she's Uchiha Sasuke."

Naruto studied his Uchiha counterpart. "Are you mute?" he asked innocently. "Why won't you talk to me?"

"I only talk to people worth my time," Sasuke sneered, turning away, paused and turned back to him. "That doesn't include you."

"But—but you're talking to me now aren't you?" Naruto persisted. "Doesn't that mean I'm worth your time?"

"...Get lost, Senju."

"You know my name!" Naruto cheered sarcastically, clapping his hands with a bright (everything about him was simply bright) grin. "Great job!"

Slowly, almost mechanically, Sasuke turned her head to fix the blonde boy with a deadly glare. He didn't seem intimidated but the grin faltered slightly when he had to raise his hand to deflect the blow.

Sakura blinked before she gave a soft gasp of alarm; Sasuke lunged again and struck the boy with punches and kicks.

Naruto laughed as he dodged. "Bring it on, I'm looking for a challenge anyway!"

Sakura opened her mouth, about to warn the Senju as to just how strong Sasuke was when the need to do so died down. Senju didn't have a problem pacing himself, dodging most blows, deflecting and counter-attacking the girl. All the while, under the heavy and rapid assault and even when Sasuke managed a grazing blow, he grinned as if the fight and Sasuke's annoyance excited him.

It was then that Sakura knew one thing about the Senju: he was nuts.

Naruto launched a roundhouse kick but Sasuke dodged and jumped back, landing on a tree branch. Naruto's eyes glinted mischievously.

"Ya sure ya want to stand there?" he asked, laughing as he clasped his hands together as if in prayer.

Sakura glanced between Sasuke and Naruto. Her head snapped back up to the former when the she stumbled. Sasuke glanced down in alarm and both girls gaped as the tree branch began to fucking move.

Sakura yelped. "It moved! The tree moved!"

"Not completely," Naruto agreed, eyes cool and sparkling with mischievousness. When Sasuke jumped down a few feet before him, he grinned again. "Not bad, ya did there. Not many can dodge it."

Sasuke showed emotion for the first time since... a few years back when Sasuke was still what Sakura could call a friend; she scowled heavily. And for the first time, spoke. "Senju," she acknowledged grudgingly but she didn't seem to have anything else to say. Saying the boy's clan name as if to confirm what she'd really seen. Under her breath she muttered, "Mokuton."

"You got it! Where's your Sharingan, Uchiha?"

Naruto stopped grinning when he noticed how the girl's face darken. "Not yet...?" No one answered but the silence was enough fo an answer. "Oh. Well, I'm sure you'll—"

"I don't need your pity or petty reassurances," Sasuke said coldly, crossing her arms and turning away.

Naruto looked guilty, slightly sad. He approached where Sakura had jumped back three feet the moment the tree started moving. "Hey there," he said glumly as if he expected Sakura to dump him a bucket of icy treatment.

Sakura beamed up at him, her cheeks flushing pink but the boy didn't seem to notice. "Hi... um, don't mind Sasuke, she's always like this."

Naruto brightened when she didn't brush him off like their other teammate did. He plucked the rose from the vines surrounding his boy and presented one to her, a smile on his face. "A pretty rose for a pretty lady."

"Hush, you." Sakura's cheeks warmed pleasantly as she accepted the flower. It had been a pale shade of green and white in the Senju's hand but when she took it, it changed to azure blue. "Is it...?" she didn't know what could describe the color-changing flower.

"Huh... you're a water-nature type! That's cool, mine's wind and earth and water—though I kinda sucked at the latter two!" Naruto pointed to the roses and when Sakura looked closer, she noticed that the pale flower had shades of blue and brown as well. He turned abruptly to face Sasuke's curious eyes. He handed her a flower. "Here!"

Sakura added the trait of generosity to the reason why she liked Naruto. She couldn't wait to introduce him to Ino, she would be so jealous!

Sasuke hesitated, clearly uncomfortable but she accepted the flower anyway. It turned the shade of a normal rose then at the bud, bloomed a yellow shade. She tilted her head to the side inquiringly and Naruto answered dutifully. "Fire and Lightning," he delivered in a sing-song voice.

Sasuke glanced at her flower then she dropped it.

"Hey!" Naruto cried, outraged that someone would treat his rose like that. "Why did you do that for?" he picked the flower up, dusting it off gently before placing pinning it on his chest; the rose returned to the pale mixture of colors it was before.

"Well," the Uchiha looked completely befuddled. "What else am I supposed to do with it?"

"Keep it, put it in a vase," the Senju ranted. "Or, even better—here!" Quick as lightning, he placed the rose Sasuke formerly held into her hair.

Before she could bat it away or punch the Senju or do both, a masculine voice chuckled from above the three. Sakura looked up; a lone grey eye glanced down at them. The shinobi, the Jōnin who was supposed to be their sensei was pale-skinned and rather tall from this vantage view. Hair more gravity defying than Naruto's stood out even more vividly with the shade of white—it made Sakura imagine an old and withered face underneath the mask.

He waved a hand at them. "Yo!"

"You're late!" Sakura said, pointing her finger at him rudely. Inner Sakura snarled, cheering her on. Yosh!

Hatake Kakashi ignored her; what an infuriating man. Instead, he held out his hand towards the subdued Senju. "May I have one of those curious flowers you have there?"

Sasuke pulled the rose out of her hair and threw it up at the white-haired man, agitated.

Naruto scowled when he saw how Sasuke handled his precious gift without any care. But his words of protest died when he saw the rose turned a multitude of colors. Five of them to be exact. "You have an affinity for all chakra nature?! Sweet!" Naruto was totally taken by their teacher it seemed.

Sakura and Sasuke didn't seem to share the same sentiment.

Kakashi chuckled, swiftly placing the rose back in his black-haired student's hair again. Sasuke bristled, snatching the rose and throwing it without a thought on the ground.

Naruto yelled. "Hey!"

"Can we get rid of him, sensei?" Sasuke asked coolly, ignoring the blonde, irked and agitated.

"That does it, Uchiha," Naruto spat, reaching down to pick up the fallen flower. Sakura watched in a mixture of horror and awe when the rose disintegrated in Naruto's hand. "I was willing to play nice with you but—"

Kakashi clucked his tongue disapprovingly.

"We're not here to argue," he said, cutting in before the Senju-Uchiha rivalry could get in between all the training and test they should be doing. "We're here to see whether or not we can be a team." _The answer is most likely no_, he thought to himself cheerfully. Yay, that means he won't be stuck with some brats.

The Senju and Uchiha tossed another poisonous glares before they turned to their teacher.

Sakura shook her head in exasperation, not knowing that it was the start of something they all did not want to be part of.

* * *

Naruto was not having the time of his life.

His teammates were a bunch of cute girls (one deadly and one kindly)—but that wasn't necessarily the terrible part. And his sensei was Hatake Kakashi! His dad's student and sole survivor of the last Team Seven; Naruto had half a mind to bug his new sensei about his dad but that would only arouse suspicions and Ero-sennin told him to lay low until he or his mother came to clear things up.

"All right, kids," Naruto glanced up to where Kakashi was leaning against the railing, glancing down at the streets of Konoha from where the four of them were perched on the rooftop of the Academy. "Well... why don't we start getting to know one another better? Introduce yourselves, like, dislikes, dreams and hobbies, oh the sort."

The three genins exchanged uncertain glances (well, Sakura and Naruto did, but Sasuke just grunted). "Why don't you start first, sensei? To give us an idea."

Kakashi cocked an eyebrow but he didn't protest. "Hm, sure. As you all know, my name is Hatake Kakashi. My likes and dislikes are not important. You all are too young to know more about my hobby and my dreams? Hm, never thought about it."

Now that was informative, Naruto thought sardonically. "Er, right. I'll go first then! My name's Senju Naruto. I like ramen, my mom, sister and even that pervert of a mentor, and training! I dislike when people act like complete assholes and actively hurt their environment"—cure dirty looks at Sasuke who flat-out ignored him—"and the three minutes ramen takes to cook and my tenant, er, scratch that last part. My dream is to be Hokage so that I can protect my precious people though there aren't that many at the moment..." he trailed off at the last part, looking rather uncertain.

Kakashi cleared his throat, motioning towards Sakura. "What about, Pinkie here?"

Sakura scowled, but then she remembered that she had to get along and put on a good first impression in front of these people, and smiled, dutifully saying, "My name is Haruno Sakura. My likes consist of hanging out with my best friend, Ino, and just recently..." she glanced meaningfully at Naruto who remained oblivious, too occupied with waving at a tree. "Er, my dislikes are snobbish teammates," an uncertain glance at Sasuke who continued glaring at a tree. "and my dreams are to someday marry the boy I like," she giggled maniacally when her eyes landed on Naruto again.

Kakashi sweatdropped, glancing at Sasuke. "Lastly, Miss. Broody."

Said girl threw him a filthy glare but through gritted teeth, she managed to make out words.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I like nothing in particular, my dislikes consist of annoying fangirls and some stupid idiot who couldn't keep his mouth shut," she shot her teammates (not by her own will) deadly glares to which they returned. "What I have is not a dream. It is my life goal to kill someone and to revive my clan."

Silence reigned though Kakashi was internally sighing, he knew this was coming when the Hokage assigned him this team which he sincerely doubted would click together.

Sakura glanced uncertainly at her teammate, she didn't the taller girl was this crazy. They'd been classmates for years and this was the first time the pinkette knew of the raven's true intentions. She was sorely tempted to comment but kept her words to herself.

Naruto, on the other hand, wasn't so thoughtful. He looked mildly impressed. "Just curious, but are you always an asshole to everyone you see?"

"Only those who are idiots." Her meaningful look at the blonde left the words _like you_ hanging in thin air.

"If I could get away with it," Naruto ground out through gritted teeth, feeling like wiping the self-satisfied smirk on Sasuke's face off with his fist. "I would've kicked your ass so hard you won't be able to walk straight for a week!"

Kakashi choked, recalling that particular line from one of the Icha Icha series book, though the _kick_ was nicely replaced by_ fuck_ but ah, not like the kids needed to know. But before any of the kids could catch onto the innuendo, from Sakura's tinted face, she seemed to be imagining the same things he was thinking, he hurriedly spoke up, dismissing them. "Look, kids, go home and be at training ground fifteen, five o'clock sharp, got it? Oh, and don't eat anything or you'll be tasting it twice."

With great difficulty, Naruto turned away and started stalking down the stairs after his sensei's absence.

"Running away, scaredy-cat?"

"No, just saving you from broken bones and bruised ego, bastard." That insult just slipped out of his tongue but he found 'bastard' was mild enough and if his mother who had manners pounded into his head since he was a baby, knew he was badmouthing his teammate like that, she'd sent him flying even though she might've known how his teammate was always acting.

"Oh, I see," remarked the Uchiha, sounding casual but the Senju knew she was taunting him. "So you're that sort: all bark and no bite." That was a low blow and Naruto had to quicken his pace down so that he was out of earshot lest he really did kill her; that girl managed to rile him up like no other, made him want to scream and yell and shout and break things especially.

Especially that pretty face of hers — he wasn't blind, of course he could see how pretty cute she was, with the pale skin that suited her delicate bone structure and raven hair, heck, she could even be considered beautiful but her manner sorta ruin it all. What sort of parents raised kids like her?

"Naruto-kun?" Said boy blinked distractedly, still descending down the stairs, and he turned his his head to face his female teammate.

"Yeah?"

"Um, you're new to the village right?" Sakura was fiddling with the hem of her dress nervously, cheeks a little pink though Naruto didn't know why; maybe she was down with a cold or something? But anyways, she was saying, "Do you want me to show you around?" she sounded hopeful but Naruto thought she was pretty nice.

"Sure!" he agreed instantly. "But you know any cool places like a ramen stand?"

* * *

"... and this is the place where you can stock up on food. Most of the restaurants here are from the Akimichi clan and their food are the best! But moving on, you wanted a ramen stand, right? There's Ichiraku's Ramen stand and it's right this way — "

"Hold it, what is that bastard doing here?"

Sakura blinked, momentarily confused before she recalled of the only person in Konoha who could send the Senju howling for blood, then turned to where Naruto was gaping. The Uchiha fan emblazoned on the person's shirt and the spiky hair easily made her stand out among the crowd of moving people.

"What bad luck," grumbled Naruto, his mood worsening. "Come on, let's just go to the ramen stand. I can't stand to be in the presence of someone like her."

"She wasn't always like this, you know." Naruto stopped, glancing back at Sakura who was staring sadly at Sasuke's back. The raven-haired girl seemed to be doing grocery shopping by herself though it made Naruto wonder why she didn't just order her servants to do things for her. "She used to be very nice."

"Are you kidding me? Or are you talking about someone else entirely?"

Sakura shot him an admonishing look, continuing, "When we were kids, we could've been considered friends. She's very sweet, cheerful and talkative. She's never grumpy or bitchy like now."

"What happened?" asked Naruto, curious, whatever happened must be terrible for her to change so much.

"The Massacre." At Naruto's confused look, she herself looked baffled as she elaborated. "Haven't you heard of the Uchiha Massacre? Sasuke was the sole survivor, they say she watched as her family get slaughtered." Naruto's jaw dropped in shock but Sakura lowered her voice to a harsh whisper, glancing nervously at Sasuke. "They also said that... that her older brother did it. The person she wanted to kill, she'd said earlier, was Uchiha Itachi."

"I met him once, he's nice and quiet and Sasuke totally adored him, definitely not the type you'd peg as a murderer. He was always the talk of the town: the Uchiha prodigy, his good looks and prowess as a ninja and at the young age of thirteen, same age as us now, made ANBU captain. But one day, he turned up and did this," Sakura shrugged helplessly. "Everyone talked about it though we were careful not to mention it in front of Sasuke. I dunno, guess he just snapped from the pressure."

Naruto swallowed, he wasn't a sympathetic person by much because his life was considered good so he couldn't sympathize with those unfortunate kids; though there were a few downsides here and there. His family was always moving from town to town and no kids would play with him with the whisker marks, then when his Mokuton manifested, the nature marks, he was considered too girly to play with them. He had no dad, and the Kyuubi always whispered temptations in his ear, nightmares of what the Kyuubi had done constantly woke him up. And for his abilities, he was nearly kidnapped from his family, once!

But Sasuke's life... it sounded a thousand times worse than his. He wondered, did her bitchy person originated from the fact she must protect herself? So that she wouldn't appear weak? Mechanically, with a new goal in mind to get to know his teammate better, he approached Sasuke who's back was still turned and she was buying tomatoes.

Sakura called his name but he shushed her quickly, making sure the two of them blend in the crowd as they caught snippets of the conversation Sasuke was having with the shopkeeper — a nice old lady who was smiling at the Uchiha as if she'd seen everything pleasant in the girl.

"... it's okay. You can have this for free. I don't want you to pay, after all, your clan had done much for our village. It's the least we could do to repay them by helping their last member, right?"

Naruto wondered if that was the right thing to say. He glanced at Sakura who was watching him. "Why don't you go on to the ramen stand first?" he suggested, keeping a close eye on Sasuke even as the crowd jostled him rudely. "Go on!"

He glanced back at the store where Sasuke was nodding politely as an old lady took the bag of tomatoes to weight it. Abruptly, she looked right at him and the serene look on her face dissolved to be replaced by a scowl.

"What on earth are you doing stalking me?"

"I'm not, teme!" He pushed his way through the crowd to get closer, he ended up standing by her side, her glare still intact and it made it extremely hard for Naruto to imagine a younger and smiling Sasuke; and the fact that people had seen Sasuke as pleasant was a joke. "Look, let's put all our first meeting — we got off the wrong foot there — behind us and start all over. My name's Senju Naruto, teme, and you better shake my hand."

Sasuke scowled at him, uncrossing her arms. "If this is some sort of prank, dope — "she trailed off, her eyes wary and stance guarded.

"Why are you insulting me, you don't even know me and you're treating me like this! This is prejudice, I demand justice — oh, hey, it rhymed! Wait, I'm getting sidetracked —" He cut himself off when he glanced down and saw Sasuke taking his hand tentatively, shaking it with the same hesitance of one who had trusted but had only received disappointment in return; their contact sent a jolt down Naruto's spine and it wasn't entirely unpleasant.

He softened slightly at this; maybe she wasn't that bad, once he got past that shell, maybe, just maybe, she'd be a pleasant person.

"Uchiha Sasuke, learn to use it instead of the nicknames you'd come up for me, usuratonkachi." The hesitance was gone to be replaced by dark humor, huh, it gave him hope that she was quite human after all.

"Then I would request the same of you," Naruto said, barely refraining from adding one of the many nicknames he'd come up with just for her. He'd never disliked anyone so passionately before meeting her.

"Hn." And she pulled her hand back, the tingling sensation leaving just like that.

"Ah... Sasuke-san?" The two clan scions turned; one with an easy grin and the other with a politely cold face. "Your order's here."

"That took a while," Naruto remarked as Sasuke hefted the bag off the counter. "Maybe you're getting old to work, don't you have any living relatives — Ow!"

Sasuke had crushed his foot with her heel as she bypassed him, she didn't even bat an eyelash when she did that. "Oh, my bad. I tend to ignore rude idiots who could show no respect so senior citizens."

Naruto ground his teeth; all right, trying to get close to Sasuke may be hard with how she was acting but Senju Naruto never backed down from a challenge and Uchiha Sasuke (what was with the aristocratic masculine name anyway?) was a walking mass of challenges.

"Hey! Come back and say that to my face, I dare you!"

The crowd who had been watching the Senju and Uchiha with interest started murmuring to one another; total strangers becoming friends in a second for the sake of sharing juicy opinion. Amazing how great the power of gossip is.

"My... are they, you know, like that?"

"Ooh, they suit one another: both from powerful clans and good looks."

"I disagree, my daughter would be much better by the Senju's side."

What followed was a verbal war, but fortunately, it was not as drastic as one between Sasuke and Naruto.

* * *

It was the loud and sonorous ringing from the alarm clock which was screeching obstinately like a tortured owl and woke Naruto up with a start. Uncertain of his surroundings and still wrapped up in the heavy cloak of sleep, he cracked open an eyelid to study his surroundings.

His clothes were thrown around messily and so were scrolls, his travelling pack and snacks. He didn't bother trying to clean his new apartment up — it'd go back to a mess in a week anyway — or even to pack his things. He didn't feel at home in this apartment at all, and Naruto was determined to spend as less time as possible in the cramped room.

In the end, he had to admit he was sorta a baby. He didn't like living alone or doing his housework; to him, the apartment was a temporary solution until his mother decided to face her fears and come storming Konoha to find him, and then he'd be able to stay with them again! (They could do the housework, though he pitied his foster sister who would be the one forced to clean things up after him and his mother.)

Another loud ring from the alarm clock pulled Naruto from his lamentation. Sighing, he slapped the damn thing off and slid out of bed. He felt like sleeping for another hour but if he was late, he knew Sasuke would just bitch at him and use his lateness as new ammo for a taunt.

The more time Naruto spent trying to analyze Sasuke's person — so he could actually understand her instead of having to be confuse why, one minute she was an okay person and the next, she was someone Naruto would want to kill — the more frustrated he got because there just didn't see to be any other person under the mask.

But he shouldn't be wasting his time with thinking about how to make her tick for now, he needed to get to the training grounds for this test Kakashi-sensei had set for them and he had to be early or Sasuke would be on him again. Due to wanting to arrive early, Naruto skipped breakfast — not that he planned on listening to Kakashi-sensei's advice in the first place — but despite his best efforts, was still later than the two girls.

Sakura greeted him cheerfully, waving at him and he waved back.

Sasuke, on the other hand, wasn't as nice. "You're late, dope." What ensued was pretty much a verbal war, with Naruto giving up because he knew one of them had to give in the end. What bothered him other than Sasuke was the absence of his teacher.

Naruto threw himself onto the grass-covered ground, pouting. "Man, I'm thirsty after arguing with teme for so long!" His stomach growled, reminding him of something else. "I'm also hungry. I regret coming here so early." He glanced up at Sakura who was watching him intently. "Aren't you thirst and hungry as well?"

"I'm on diet," the pink-haired girl replied simply. "And, no, since I didn't speak much."

Naruto groaned loudly. "Even water would be fine — "

"Here." Naruto blinked, looking up where the sky was blocked from view by a certain Uchiha. He scowled up at her but the expression diminished when a bottle was pressed onto his forehead, the plastic surface cool against his forehead and he was aware that Sasuke's fingertips were touching his forehead.

"What's that?"

"A bottle of water in case you can't tell, dead-last," Sasuke answered sardonically. "It's not poisoned, and not a prank either," she added after a moment of silence and hesitance on Naruto's part.

At the last statement, Naruto flushed, snatching the bottle out of her grip and sitting up so that he was eye-level with the crouching Uchiha.

"Heh. Like I'd be worried about something like that." He was predisposed to handle poisons; his mother made him take small amounts of a wide variety of poison so that he would be immune to them and even if he wasn't immune to a certain type of poison, the Kyuubi was there to dispel the poison so he was pretty much invulnerable to most poisons. But who knows what sort of poision an Uchiha would have on their person?

In spite of his reply and supposed immunity to poison, the Senju continued to eye the object suspiciously, wary, because there was this one time, one of the older kids had played a mean prank on him and pour salt in it.

"You're a bad liar, moron."  
_  
_Why did Naruto get the feeling that the she already knew him from inside out? It was unnerving but in a way, it felt nice to have someone who understood him without having to say it in words. He wondered if this was a step in their fragile, starting bond. To get their friendship to work, he would have to be more tolerant and patient so that she'd open up.

"And you're not that bad yourself, princess-stuck-up."

"Shut up, stupid."

It was a start, but at least they were making progress.

**xXx**


	2. Bonds of Friends

**Felo de Se**

**Chapter Two: Bonds of Friends**

"Sakura-chan!" A hushed whisper came from behind her. Said girl jumped but fortunately, she didn't give away her position to their enemy aka their teacher—at least, she hoped their teacher didn't know where she was hiding. She craned her neck to see who had called her.

Her cheeks warmed when she noticed their close proximity but Naruto didn't seem to notice. "What?" she whispered back hotly, trying to calm her beating—for more than one reason—heart.

"Let's work together," Naruto said earnestly; even in the dark, Sakura can see it in his eyes. "This is the key to success: teamwork."

"How do you know that?" Sakura asked, frowning.

"Well... my dad was quite close to Kakashi-sensei, so..." the Senju shrugged helplessly. "Anyways, we need to get the Uchiha-teme's help."

"Can't we do this without her, please?" Sakura knew she was being selfish but she really didn't like the Uchiha much and how Naruto always tried to include their socially stunted teammate into every activity was annoying. "And besides, there's only two bells, so only the two of us can make it!"

Naruto frowned. "Sakura, have you ever noticed a team with less than three genin?"

Sakura opened her mouth to reply that but snapped it shut as she recalled the many times, as a child, she'd seen group of three genins and their jounin senseis. Slowly, she shook her head, resigning herself to be in the Uchiha's team. And she was hoping they can all avoid that, maybe only she and Naruto can succeed.

"So, let's go get her!" Naruto's bright grin slid off his face. "Oh, shit! Go get that teme, I'll distract sensei for now."

"Wha—Wait, Naruto!" But the boy was already gone. Desperately, Sakura poke her head out of the bush she was hiding in just seconds ago to see her hopefully-teammate-and-maybe-someone-more.

Naruto stood before Kakashi, his arms crossed over his chest with a solemn look—he looked oddly funny when he tried to be serious—on his face. Nothing happened.

"Taijutsu," Kakashi said after a moment of staring off and Sakura was wondering where Sasuke was; is she watching this? "Hand-to-hand combat." His hand twitched behind his back as he went for his pouch. Sakura blinked, he said it himself, hand-to-hand combat, so why was he drawing his weapon?

Naruto blinked, then yelled, "Pervert!" the moment he saw the orange book in his teacher's hand.

Sakura strained to see but she couldn't make out the words on the book cover from her vantage point of view. She wondered what made the Senju's face so red. Kakashi must've noticed too. He chuckled. "Ho, aren't you a bit too young to be reading this?"

Flustered, the Senju lunged, throwing a rather sloppy punch. "Shut up!"

From this distance, Sakura was actually surprised she can meet the boy's eyes. When their eyes met, she only saw one message: _find the Uchiha_. She obeyed, and someday, in the not-too-far future, all the Senju's eyes would be reflecting was this message, repeating over and over.

Sakura ran, jumping from tree branch to another. She stopped, breathing hard, in a clearing. She wiped the sweat off her forehead and gazed up at the sunny sky, noting that their time was almost up, closing to noon and the sun was reaching the middle. She really need to find Sasuke.

"S - Sakura..." The girl turned and she screamed. "Help... m - me," the Uchiha groaned, her body riddled with kunais and other sorts of weapons.

The blood and was that intestines spilling out from the girl's guts? Her teacher was nuts, he'd gone too far...

Sakura fainted.

**xXx**

In another clearing, Uchiha Sasuke sneezed.

She clasped her hand over her mouth and nose to stop another one but it was clearly too late. She jumped off the tree branch, whirling around to face her teacher.

Her face remained a calm and impassive mask but internally, she was brimming with fire from the challenge presented before her.

Hatake Kakashi studied his student-hopeful though with how the Genins were acting, he didn't think they would be a team anytime soon. He pretended to read his book, taking in the graphics of how the two girls—stop, Kakashi ordered himself as he subtly glanced at the immobile Uchiha.

And suddenly, she disappeared. Almost lazily, Kakashi brought his forearm up to block her attack. He repeated the same, switching the hands he held his precious book with, when she threw punches at him. Uchiha had good taijutsu, Senju did too. But they both had the same flaw: their brashness. For all of Uchiha's cool and Senju's defense, they detested it when things didn't bend their way and they were eager to finish things. The will to not leave any loose ends might come in handy someday in their career, but just not now; it was hindering their teamwork.

He could see the tell-tale signs of Senju getting the hint or maybe Jiraiya-sama had already told the boy. Sakura was a civilian, she had not much will to lead and the Senju had given her orders, she'd done it and failed. Sakura following orders, it was like a master and servant conversation instead of teamwork.

Close, but not enough.

And the Uchiha was even worse, she didn't even interact with either of her team. It was almost too bad for Kakashi to fail them because each of them showed so much potential that could brew into something so much more. But if he ended up taking care of the brats, the time he could spend on his book would lessen.

Damn. Caught between a wall and a hard place.

"Damn it," Sasuke cursed, somersaulting backwards when Kakashi bat her away and landed on her feet nimbly; her actions reminded Kakashi strangely of cats and how they usually land on their feet. He didn't like her much after all.

Sasuke's hands flew into a series of handseals which Kakashi recognized. "Impossible," he murmured, awed, because Genins usually don't have enough chakra to pull it off. But this particular Genin did; large, searing and continuous flames burst forth from the girl's chapped lips.

Kakashi dodged, almost caressing his precious book. He saw the smoke fuzzing at its edges and his eyes simply burned with anger. Maybe he should retaliate, special treatment for the last Uchiha after all.

His hands flew into a series of handseals, the speed he formed them much quicker than a Sharingan-less Uchiha to follow and much faster than Sasuke's own, he pulled his mask down lightning quick and spewed out the same amount, if not more, of flames back at the Uchiha.

She looked stunned but luckily, it wasn't because of seeing his face—he doubted she saw. She was most likely amazed at his speed.

Much to Kakashi's horror, she didn't dodge. Shit, he cursed and was about to lunge forward and pull her away himself when a flash of blonde and the flames scorched the grass into crisps.

Kakashi remained in his place, stunned.

The blonde flash just now... "Minato-sensei?"

**xXx**

They both stunk of smoke and flames; but the smell wasn't entirely unpleasant.

Sakura glanced at the flustered clan heirs. "Is something wrong?" she asked hesitantly, studying their flushed faces and disheveled clothes.

Sasuke was the first to recover. "No, nothing happened," she answered much to the pastel-haired girl's surprise.

"Really?"

Sasuke glowered at the Senju who glared back. She ignored Sakura's inquiry and said, "Why did you interrupt me?" she spat.

"I saved your life, you bastard, and this is the thanks I get?!"

"Now, now, arguing won't bring you three anywhere close to success."

"Damn, he sneaked up on us," Naruto cursed and he hadn't even felt the man's presence!

"You're just bloody idle, dope."

"What was that, bastard?!"

Kakashi sighed. He had never seen a team with worse teamwork than this. The weren't just bad—they were awful in a way that required active effort! Did they meet up and trained to achieve this? Was it on purpose? If Kakashi hadn't known any better, he would've thought they were pulling his leg but the sheer distaste in the clan heirs' eyes for one another told a different story.

He had the worst luck in the world; a Senju and Uchiha on the same team? He doubted things will work out well. And Team 7... he was the teacher of the most accursed team in the history of Konoha's founding.

Kakashi refrained from groaning as the Genins continued to argue among themselves—Iit was like they were deliberately sabotaging themselves. He rubbed his forehead, recalling the many, guaranteed deaths of all members of Team 7. The silver-haired man shook his head, bringing his precious book to his face and continued to read. He giggled, ignoring the genins incredulous glares.

"You…" began Sasuke, clenching her fists. "You think you can take me that lightly?"

"Hm?" said Kakashi. "Did you said something? I was just coming to the best part, you see, the one where—"

Kakashi struggled to keep his face in an innocent expression as Sasuke's wrath approached a boiling point. Just as the dark Uchiha was about to charge at him, the Senju stepped before her, intercepting her. She glowered heatedly at him. "Get lost." she growled.

"Uchiha, wait," said Naruto calmly. "I have an idea."

Sasuke scoffed. "That would be a first."

Naruto ignored her, throwing an arm around her and Sakura and pulling close, whispering things Kakashi can't hear but he doubted it'll be any good for them anyway. Inside the circle, Sasuke remained silent, glaring at Naruto but obviously calming down.

"What does it cost you to go along?" the Senju was whispering, debating with the Uchiha. "If this fails you can just call me an idiot like always and try it your way. It won't take long, I promise."

Sasuke eyed him suspiciously. "What do you have in mind?"

Naruto brought his hand to a bruise on Sasuke's arm and it began to glow. As Naruto waved his glowing hand over the blue-black Kakashi had inflicted, the flesh healed itself in it's wake. Kakashi inhaled slightly. The boy knew medical techniques? Oh, he was Senju Tsunade's son after all, Kakashi berated himself, of course the boy would know medical jutsus.

"Better?"

Sasuke grunted. "What do you have in mind?" she repeated again, less grudging this time.

Naruto grinned foxily. "All you need to do is grab the bells when you have the chance." The girls retreated and the sole boy strode almost casually towards Kakashi. The jonin remained passive, warily assessing the blonde Senju, but he didn't put his book away which the boy was apparently scrutinizing. "Oh, this, volume three. Ero-sennin—I mean, my godfather, Jiraiya he already had the fourth volume ready. Do you know what happens next from the cliffhanger? Well, Takara and Jiro finally—"

"No!" Kakashi yelled, his hands flying to his ears to block out the boy's next words.

"I'm not telling," the Senju smiled sweetly, victoriously, placing a finger to his lips and this was what truly distracted Kakashi. The way the boy smiled, his grin—cheerful, cheeky and all the good memories—was so much like Minato-sensei's that it was simply impossible—

"We got it, Naruto-kun!" Sakura cheered, holding up a bell she taken from their stunned teacher. "Your plan worked."

Sasuke studied Kakashi, obviously, her standard of him had dropped from zero to nothing. "Just for a erotic book? The plot?" she demanded, befuddled and crossed.

Kakashi ignored her, straightening himself and assessing the group of Genin with mixed feelings. "Well, it seems like only the girls will pass and the sole boy will go back to the Academy."

Sakura's grin dimmed, her shoulders slumped in according to her mood. Much to everyone's surprise, Sasuke threw her bell at Naruto. He looked at her with a new light. "Wow, really, Uchiha?"

Faint pink tinted her pale cheeks but Sasuke chase it away quickly enough. "Shut up," she grumbled, crossing her arms. "I just don't want to be stuck with such a teacher."

Kakashi was well adept enough to know a lie when he saw one. Though the girl was only partially lying, he chuckled, he supposed it would be okay to pass them. The three of them together, if they could work on their teamwork, would be spectacular.

* * *

Now that their test was over, they were dismissed; Kakashi-sensei said that he had to go to the Hokage to make sure their team would be official. He'd left the three genins to their own devices after saying that; Naruto pouted at that, their teacher though cheerful looking, would also be quite distant and hard to reach like Sasuke even though he had a more pleasant demeanor.

Wiping the sweat of his forehead — man, was Konoha hot or what, he'd hate to see Suna if it was already scorching hot in this four-seasonal town — and feeling somewhat adventurous despite the weather, Naruto glanced at Sasuke who was walking in front of him.

"Hey, wanna go somewhere?"

Sakura perked up; but Naruto's attention was mainly on Sasuke who didn't bother turning around but from how her steps faltered a moment, he knew she'd heard.

"Where?"

"I'll treat you girls to lunch! What do you say?"

"Sure!"

"Forget it," the cold and flat tone definitely belonged to Sasuke. Naruto felt like he'd been rejected which was totally lame because he didn't even confess his love or anything. That thought was also freakish and impossible: he wasn't into Sasuke, maybe, even though the girl had looks to die for. Then again, Naruto rarely settled for looks, the personality counted too. The girl he would settle down with someday must not be a demure someone, must be hot and someone who pose as a challenge; fierce, someone who would not be a pushover; and for the looks, maybe someone with long dark hair or complexion opposite of his —

Hold it, why did that sound suspiciously like Sasuke fitted the criteria? Man, his choice in girls were screwed up. It had to be his dad's genes; he heard that the girls his dad chased after were hot-tempered, strong, no pushover, very fierce and would always engage him in verbal wars. His mother was also hot-tempered, strong and fierce. Sasuke was also like that.

Stop, he told his brain as he came back down to earth and saw Sasuke stalking away. "Wait, I told you I'd pay!" Why was he even bothering to persist her? He was baffled himself, but that didn't stop him from keeping pace with her.

"Come on," he whined but of course, that was ineffective when it came to Sasuke. He huffed, using the last card. "How about I be your sparring partner?"

She stopped and glanced back, her expression softening from steel to rock. "I'm going so that you'll stop pestering me. Got it?"

He grinned. "Sure. Whatever you say." He quickened his pace, taking the lead. "I'm choosing the place."

Knowing his love for ramen, Sakura had already guessed that they'd be at Ichiraku's. She didn't feel much of an appetite but Naruto-kun was looking at her and Sasuke with doe eyes. "Extra-small," she added after giving her order; she could just eat a little, after all, she was on a diet. She glanced at Sasuke's order, the taller girl had taken a large one, it made Sakura grimace. "Don't you ever diet?"

"No," replied Sasuke, seeming confused for a moment before that look passed. "Why should I?"

"Aren't you worried that you'll... er, put on weight?"

Sasuke scowled. "No. Ninjas are never overweight or underweight as long as they train daily and had a strict regime. The only fat sort of ninjas are the Akimichis or ninjas who's abilities need them to have fat. Or, there are ninjas who laze around and neglect their training for other purposes." Sakura blushed, feeling Sasuke's gaze on her at the last part. Maybe it was time she pick up the slack and start working out.

"Hey, come on, girls, eat up!"

Sakura's jaw dropped, if she thought Sasuke was already eating too much, she couldn't believe what she saw when her eyes landed on Naruto. The blonde was already devouring his third bowl of ramen, she hadn't even started, and Sasuke was only halfway through.

"I think I'm full," the Uchiha muttered, onyx eyes concentrated on the busy ramen stand. There was only one person serving everybody while the other guy played the role of a chef. She tapped the waitress's shoulder. "A drink please."

Ayame nodded once, and without looking properly at her customer's face, served a bottle of sake, "Help yourself!" she yelled as she ran to serve another customer, not noticing that the Uchiha was underage for a drink.

Sasuke blinked, she'd never tasted sake before and she was slightly curious of the taste. She took one of the glasses handed to her and uncorked the sake bottle, pouring the beverage. Sakura, who was staring at Sasuke, blanched. "We can't drink that!"

"Who says?" the pale girl challenged stubbornly. "Your parents forbid it but mine aren't here to have a say-so." Her voice was cold and her face hard when she said this, it silenced Sakura effectively.

"What's that you're drinking?" The two girls glanced at their third teammate briefly; Sasuke thought that he looked slightly adorable — like the bear plush toy she used to lug around — with his mouth stuffed with food, before she cursed herself for thinking so.

"Sake." Came the curt reply which made Naruto splutter and nearly choke on his food. Sasuke ignored him, bringing the cup to her lips and downed it in one go. She blinked before she poured more into her cup and drink it in one go again.

"So..." Sakura darted a glance at the drink. "How does it taste like?"

Instead of answering, the Uchiha placed the cup down and grunted softly. But when she made to pour more into her cup, Naruto snatched her wrist. "Hey!" the Senju protested. "You shouldn't drink that. My dad said that shinobi shouldn't drink before they reach the age of twenty-one!"

"And we're thirteen," said Sasuke, irritated. "You want me to wait eight years?" She scowled when he grinned sheepishly. "Daddy's boy."

"It's his last words. I can't possibly ignore it." Sasuke twitched; man, was the Senju good at getting sympathy from others or what. She slammed the bottle down with more force than intended, throwing the boy a furious glare and standing. "I'm leaving," she said coldly, already turning and leaving.

Sakura glanced at the empty seat beside her then back at Naruto's face which was full of stunned hurt. It was the perfect opportunity to get closer to her crush but he didn't seem to be in the mood anymore.

"I think we should all head home," offered the pinkette. "My parents would be roaming the streets for me." Just as she said that, she heard a familiar woman's voice shouting her name. She winced, knowing that she was in for an earful. "Sorry, they're here. Gotta go!"

Naruto sighed heavily, watching as Sakura ran towards her father and mother. He glanced down, feeling nostalgic, missing something he'd never known. His mood worsened when he saw Sakura's father ruffled her pink hair; he wondered how it'd feel like. Guess he'd never know for the rest of his life; the Ero-sennin had ruffled his hair before and the perverted sage was really the only father-figure he had in life, but what he really wanted was a real and living dad, not a hero.

He considered his options as he left the ramen stand — dimly recalling that he hadn't paid for the food but he was too depressed and the owners weren't paying attention — walking in the night. Sounds of scuffles and a man's voice leering reached his ears, prompting him to turn.

His eyes widened in surprise when he saw two grown men cornering a pale and much smaller in comparison girl; what surprised him even more was that the girl was Sasuke! "Why... why isn't she fighting back?" he wondered as he approached. But when one of the man reached out to touch the girl's raven hair, he snapped; seeing red, he lunged, punching the man and sending him flying into the lamppost.

He glanced back at Sasuke as he kicked the other man in the groin. "Why didn't you fight back?" he demanded hotly.

Sasuke scowled at him, her cheeks flushed. "I.. I don't need your... urh... help..." she was slurring, like she was drunk.

"Wait, just a few glasses and you're down!?" The Uchiha scowled at him before she turned and stumbled.

"You are so troublesome," Naruto grumbled as he took her hand, gently guiding her away from running straight into the wall; he had ran into a wall once, and it wasn't a pleasant experience. "I'll take you home." He paused. "Wait, where do you live?" He received no answer; when he glanced down, he figured that from her closed eyelids, she was asleep. "Oh, great," he muttered sarcastically as he carried her on his back and made his way back to his own apartment.

When they reached, Sasuke had already woken up but instead of making things easier for him, she was doing the opposite. Naruto regretted jostling her so much when he was searching for his apartment key. The moment the raven saw his apartment, which was a fucking mess, she was already complaining.

"This place," she grumbled as he carried her in. "is a fucking mess. It's like a dumpster."

Naruto wanted to say something scathing back, but he calmed himself down by arguing that she was drunk and maybe she didn't mean what she said. Sasuke squinted, scowling. "Put me down," she whined.

"Sure," the blonde said, letting her onto her feet, keeping a hold on her forearm in case she stumbled and fell. "Anyways, you'll be sleeping on the couch."

"Hell no," the black-eyed girl instantly rebuked. "I refuse to sleep on that... rock."

"Are you seeing things?" Naruto demanded, frustrated, but he sighed; it was pointless arguing with a drunk and stubborn Uchiha. "Fine," he grumbled. "Take the bed, princess, I'll sleep on the couch which is pretty much comfortable." The last part was a fucking lie and they both knew it, from the triumphant look Sasuke gave him as she stumbled to the bed and crumpled on it.

Naruto went about his business first, and after he showered he carelessly threw himself down on the couch, and it was really _ouch_. He hissed in pain, at where his neck had hit the armrest; he was going to sue the guy who made this. He tried to made himself comfortable on the couch, but no matter how he tossed or turned, he couldn't fall asleep and it was wholly uncomfortable.

Damn it; Sasuke was such a bother, he glared at the ceiling. Abruptly, he sat up and glance around at the dark room. His eyes eventually landed on the migraine of his day — and might be for the rest of his life — which was currently holding the form a very pretty girl with pale skin and black hair. But unlike when she was awake, her face was unguarded, the hard and cold mask was done and she looked almost friendlier and cheerful when she was asleep.

He could almost picture a much younger Sasuke, the girl who had her family and gave her smiles freely to anyone who looked.

Huh, he wondered how she would look like now if she smiled.

* * *

In the morning, with the hangover bugging her, Sasuke was even more of an asshole than usual. She moaned, groaned and complained. Even things that shouldn't bother her or usually bypass her bitchy radar became noticeable; Naruto wondered did Uchiha eyes see things in more detail when the beholder were drunk.

"This place is a fucking mess."

"You said that last night, bastard."

"Clean it up. Throw that away. Clear the scrolls, what if someone tripped? Wash your clothes, moron, it's clogging my noes with the bad smell." With patience he didn't know he had, Naruto did as told even though it was through gritted teeth, clenched fists and mantras of _don't kill Sasuke, hangover's the reason she's acting like this_. Just as he was done piling his dirty clothes, Sasuke spoke up again. "Buy some curtains why don't you. The sun's killing my eyes."

By this point, Naruto was all but ready to throw the girl out but his dad had said to be more polite with the ladies after all.

He grumbled this thought out loud as he prepared an icepack for the Uchiha. She snatched it out of his grasp without so much as a word of gratitude. Eventually, she spoke, "He sounds wise, unlike you."

"No idea. Never met him." A brief confused glance and he elaborated. "He wrote a letter for me, in case he really died on mission, filled with things he wanted to teach me and tell me."

Sasuke remained silent, pressing the icepack to her forehead and closing her eyes. She didn't say anything, merely nodded, and Naruto knew that she understood his feelings. She turned away from the blinding sun though — It had to be about, what, nine, judging from the sun's position — "Holy cow!" he yelled, unintentionally raising his voice in the presence of a hangover victim.

Sasuke threw him a furious glare, clasping her ears and nursing her migraine. "Idiot," she hissed venomously. "Keep your voice down!"

"We're late! Kakashi-sensei must've been there already, we're already later than him!" Naruto was about rush around, getting ready when he felt his wrist being enclosed in a grip. "Let go of me, teme, I have to get ready!"

"Let him taste his own medicine," Sasuke grumbled in return. "Let me sleep. Besides, you still haven't sweep the floor of crumbs. Where's breakfast?"

Naruto's jaw dropped, did the girl think this was her apartment or something? But when Sasuke shot him a furious glare, he complied hastily as she shuffled into the bathroom. When she emerged, drying her hair with his towel (he better not point that out lest she vent her anger on him), she looked at him oddly.

"Why did you do as I told you to?" she asked, confused. "Why did you help me in the first place?"

"Firstly, I'm not your slave, your bitching is just the motivation I needed to clean this place up. Secondly, that's what friends are for." Naruto turned to look at her with a long-suffering look on his face. "Got it —" his voice died when he saw the slightest quirk of her lips.

It was a smile, he knew it was a smile. But in the blink of an eye, the smile was gone as she'd turned her head. "Hurry up and clean up. We'll be late."

He grinned.

**xXx**

* * *

**Author's Note:** This is the edited version, old readers. To new readers, nothing's change, just added a little more NaruSasu fluff.


	3. Precious People

**Author's Note: **Right, as a reviewer suggested that I should add more details and develop more of Inari and Haku's role in the heroes' lives — I edited this chapter. Special shout-out to **_Rockies Fan_**for the help and I hope you continue to give more useful advice like these. XD

Anyway, if Naruto's thoughts on Sasuke seemed to lean too fast to romantic, the reason is that, in this story, he's been raised and trained by Jiraiya (even Tsunade couldn't stop the old man from influencing her son) and had inherited some of the man's... perverted and flirtatious tendencies, so Naruto here likes attention and flirting; Sasuke's just more special because she's his teammate and he pays more attention to her. On the side note, there'd be some NaruSaku - not now, just in later chapters.

Thirdly, no, Haku isn't a girl. Haku is referred to as a 'her' because it's from Naruto's point of view; he mistook her for a girl.

* * *

**Felo de Se**

**Chapter Three: Precious People**

After much whining, complaining and puppy dog eyes (all Naruto's doings), Team Seven — which was still relatively new — was granted a C-Rank Mission.

Kakashi knew his team had potential — and he was the strongest jonin out there — but still, he had a bad feeling that things would go terribly wrong. It started when he actually found himself on time at the meeting grounds. Naturally, as he'd expected, his team were surprised.

He found it amusing when the Senju heir started repeating mantras of prayer for a safe journey and when Pinky looked like she was ready to froth at the mouth. Only the Uchiha looked remotely normal, still, she eyed her surroundings like she expected her older brother to pounce on them the very moment.

Needless to say, Tazuna was driven up the wall by their antics, already starting to doubt his sanity and safety. It was quite amusing in Kakashi's opinion, but if they give their client a heart-attack, it wouldn't be pretty on Konoha's reputation at all.

The bridge builder felt slightly guilty though, and he'd been trying to cover it up with a brash and arrogant drunkard act. He didn't want them to catch him lying — and in doing so, dying. He knew that what the Genin team had been expecting were merely bandits as such, not ninjas and assassins sent to kill him.

But he had to, the bridge builder strengthened his resolve and yelled out, urging the kids to walk faster so that they'd reach his country faster. The faster, the less risk and the quicker his country will be saved.

"Seriously," muttered Tazuna disapprovingly as Kakashi pulled Naruto and Sasuke — "Dobe." "Asshole!" — away from one another, after another petty fight. Truth to be told, Tazuna, personally, though the two clan heirs were acting like an old married couple. He knew how old married couple fought; he shuddered, he'd been in a few - regrettable — fights with his beloved wife, involving a spatula and a flying knife (don't ask!).

But between ninja couples... Tazuna expected more than spatulas and kitchen knives to be flying.

He grinned teasingly as the blonde haired kid hurried his pace, settling himself in a pace by Tazuna's side, grumbling about stupid Uchihas and a few other unpleasant names. Tazuna couldn't help himself, he said, "Lovers' spat?"

The Senju exploded, his cheeks red with both anger and embarrassment. "Old man — not you too! Kakashi-sensei and almost everyone said the same! How many times do I have to tell you that I do not - and never will - "

Tazuna had already clapped his hands over his ears the moment the boy opened his mouth. "Look, I get it, you don't have to make me go deaf, brat. I was just teasing!"

"Don't joke about something so serious!"

"Oh," Again, he couldn't help the slip of tongue. "I didn't know kids can go so seriously."

Naruto looked ready to claw his eyes out until he stepped onto a puddle. Tazuna scowled, disgruntled as he wrung the part of his pants where the water had gotten to. He gave the brat a plain old glare and was about to complain loudly when the unusually serious expression on the boy's face stopped him.

Tazuna swallowed nervously when the ninjas, subtly moved themselves into a position surrounding him. "Is something the matter?" he asked in a hushed whisper, nervous.

The pink-haired girl suddenly appeared by his side, silent as a well, ninja (pardon the pun) and touched his arm lightly. "Follow my lead," she said and that was when all hell broke loose.

Naruto, turned, abruptly and so quickly Tazuna nearly didn't see it, and lashed out his leg - glowing with chakra - and something was knocked out of the sky. "Wah!" the bridge builder stumbled back in shock but Sakura grabbed him and hauled him out of another projectile's way.

His heart must've skipped a few beats! "Damn," the middle aged man cursed. "If anything happens to them, I'll never forgive myself."

Tazuna watched in horror as the teacher was torn apart by some chains - did that mean their enemies were stronger than the best jonin of Konoha? — but the clan scions didn't falter. The Uchiha jumped, twirling and letting loose a few kunais — to a civilian like Tazuna, she didn't seem to be taking any aim — which pinned the chains to a tree trunk, momentarily immobilizing them. Their pause gave the Senju more than enough time to punch their lights - oh, and let's not forget about those poor men's teeth — out.

Naruto grinned threateningly, exposing his sharp canines as the tree roots - fucking _moved!_ -wrapped themselves around the two ninjas. "You will tell us everything, right, sensei?"

"Yep." The cheery light hearted and nonchalant voice nearly gave Tazuna another heart attack. Kakashi seemed to be smiling under his mask, but his lone eye glinted coldly at Tazuna. "It would be nice if more than two people will talk."

He gulped.

**xXx**

"No way."

Tazuna glared at the Uchiha girl, he couldn't believe he ever felt any concern for her safety earlier when the ninjas attacked. He growled but decided she was a waste of his time where he could spend convincing the other to help. As he was saying,"—and my poor grandson will keep crying, _Grandpa, Grandpa_" —voice altered to be dramatically convincing—"every night and my daughter will forever harbor a grudge for Konoha-nins."

_Success!_ Tazuna thought, wanting to jump up and down with a victory sign, when he saw Sakura and Naruto crumbling. Kakashi didn't mind, nonchalantly saying, "Oh, well, okay, then. We'll be protecting you until you finish the bridge." The bridge builder wisely ignored the Uchiha's smoldering glare.

But Senju couldn't ignore her—he never seemed to be able to.

"Aw, little Sasu-chan couldn't bear the thought of facing more strong ninjas - "

"Shut up, stupid."

Before either of the kids could break into degrading insults, Tazuna interrupted them, yelling and pointing to the large building in sight. "There—that's the bridge I'm completing!"

"Whatever," muttered Sasuke as she jumped off the boat, looking somewhat paler than usual, like was suffering from motion-sickness — but then again, it could only be the mist starting to shroud them making her seem so white and ghostly. "Let's just hurry and get this finish with."

"So quick?" Naruto sneered — he couldn't help it, he was a challenging person by nature, one who thrived of hurdles in life and the Uchiha was an antagonistic person (girl or no girl), neither could resist taunting the other it seemed — his hands crossed behind his head. "We should take the time to enjoy the scenery, teme."

Sasuke grunted but instead of answering to the challenge, her eyes widened. Sakura looked mystified when she didn't answer. Naruto looked curious as well, he stepped towards his raven haired teammate, but before he could reach her, she tackled him and Sakura down.

"Get down!"

A large and thick blade, enforced with chakra, went spiraling past their heads. It would've taken their head had Sasuke not pushed her teammates out of the way and gave them her warning.

Tazuna swallowed, only realizing that his instincts had reacted before his mind did. He found himself on his butts, shaking because the sheer pressure - killing intent - pressing down onto him was terrifying; he found his limbs locked, he couldn't move and he was simply terrified. To his amazement, the ninja kids - they were still children despite their power - stood, even though the pink one looked slightly scared as well.

"Y—you saved me..." the boy looked dazed before sprang to his feet, in a stance read to fight. "Who the hell are you and what have you done with the Uchiha-teme? How did you get past our guard?!"

Huh? Tazuna didn't know the Uchiha wasn't the Uchiha anymore. He scrambled further away from her. Kakashi threw a mild glare at his only male student. "Naruto, stop fooling around. Our enemy is powerful and he is near."

Zabuza Momochi — too powerful for both clan heirs, but with something known as teamwork, they managed.

Tazuna swore his heart stopped when Kakashi — their only hope of getting out alive - was locked, trapped in some bubble. What's worse, Naruto looked amused and confident as ever, as if the thought of losing against such a powerful opponent has never crossed his mind — sometimes, Tazuna wondered what went on through that blonde head of his -

He took that back, he didn't want to know after all.

What on earth would possess the boy to throw a shuriken at his own ally's face. Fortunately, Sasuke caught it — looking mildly irritated but otherwise not complaining, for once when Naruto did something to her — and her eyes widened a fraction before a smirk curled her lips, as the Senju charged their enemy, his hand glowing.

Tazuna spluttered, Sakura did the same as wave after wave exploded from the lake. The bridge builder wiped the water out of his eyes to take a better look and he couldn't believe what he was seeing. The blonde boy punched the water, kicking it up and it didn't take Tazuna long to realize he was trying to create a distraction.

If a civilian like Tazuna could figure it out, Zabuza certainly did too. He snarled, shaking his head as water seeped into his eyes. "This won't work on me, brat!" he yelled, ducking as a shuriken flew at him, again he jumped to dodge another shuriken.

Naruto, unexpectedly, grinned crazily. "So?"

He kicked upwards, this time not to distract but with the intent to hurt. Zabuza jerked back; he growled, his other hand was still holding onto the bubble and this little blonde was proving to be more than a pest. Just as he thought that, the shuriken he'd dodged earlier came flying back. He sneered, about to punch it out of the sky and when he reached out to grasp it, a hand encircled his wrist and the blows came, swift and powerful.

He flew backwards, onto land as his bubble prison on the Hatake dissolved.

"Great work, Sasuke, Naruto," Kakashi said as he shook the water out of his hair. His lone Sharingan spun in his eyes - once again drawing Sasuke's undivided attention - as his gaze locked on Zabuza's form. "Now, time to end this."

**xXx**

He wanted to be a hero.

She was stunned, she was an avenger — living only for the sake of avenging. Yet, the Senju swore to protect his precious people and his friends — no matter how spiteful or annoying they were - he announced that when that Inari challenged him, calling a weakling and a pathetic fool.

Sasuke was impressed that a brat like him wanted to challenge well-trained ninja — even if they were only Genins. That Inari had spirit but too bad, he was a civilian child and only knew how to whine instead of standing up on his own two feet and fight for what he wanted.

Revenge? Then stand up and fight.

The child was even more pathetic in her eyes than the Senju was — but she didn't voice this, remaining silent as Naruto yelled at the brat.

At least Naruto proved to be a challenge to her rank and strength - for those alone, she'd tolerate his presence and his incessant chatters around her.

She promised herself to tolerate him until she could beat him. But now was one of the times she couldn't tolerate him. Growling as she slid down the tree trunk — _again!_ — she snapped her head to where the Senju was whining and moaning and groaning as he tumble of his tree.

He rubbed the back of his blonde head, scowling and looking up at her. "What?" he asked rudely.

"Shut up," said Sasuke moodily, her temper and patience frayed when the stupid tree and her stubborn chakra wouldn't cooperate to her wishes. "You're distracting me."

Naruto's lips curled but he sighed and shook his head, tilting and looking upwards. The moon shone down onto both clan heirs. Naruto turned momentarily to make a proposal — maybe they could help one another — but his breath caught when he saw his female companion. He whistled appreciatively - must've been spending too much time with his Ero-Sennin — when he caught her soaked clothes clinging to her skin, allowing him to see her...

"Oi!" If Naruto's eyes weren't malfunctioning or something, he thought he saw her cheeks darkening.

"Oops, sorry!" He scratched the back of his head sheepishly as she crossed her arms, glaring at him. "Uh, having a hard time?" he gestured to the tree which swayed even when there was no breeze — his Mokuton doing. He instantly realized it was a ridiculous question the moment she glared at him — even harder, she always seemed to be glaring at everything.

"I'm surprised you're still here."

And he knew what she said was genuine. He smiled wistfully. "Well, I have large chakra reserves so controlling them is hard - I'm just used to pouring chakra here and there into my blows, not like mom's." Someday, he would master and surpass his mother - and his father along the way. "Hey, why are you so determined anyway?"

"I could ask you she same question," Sasuke shot back sourly, obviously not going along with Naruto's attempts at playing nice.

"I want to be a Hokage — the greatest one ever!" Naruto said enthusiastically, grinning at the mere thought but it dimmed as he continued. "If I can't control my chakra, how am I going to be Hokage and protect my precious people?"

_"How am I going to protect my precious people if I don't dedicate myself to work?"_ _Then he'd smiled, fingers poking the middle of her forehead before he stood and left, his back turned to her and she was always left looking at his back_ — and damn did the memory hurt.

Naruto was so much like _him_, yet he wasn't.

"Ne, what's your dream?"

"It's not a dream, it's my goal - I'm going to avenge my clan and maybe, revive it."

"I couldn't imagine you as a great mom, or motherly for the matter."

"...I suppose I'd just have to take back the thought of you being a decent father."

"What? Seriously! You think I can be a great dad?"

"_Decent_, dope."

Naruto sprang to his feet, looking energized all of a sudden, judging by the tireless bright grin on his face. "Well, if you smiled more like now, you'd be a nice mother!"

Sasuke's face fell the moment he said that, her cheeks felt stiff as if she hadn't move them in a long time to express her feelings.

She hadn't realized her lips had curled upwards.

* * *

She was thoroughly exhausted but with the last shred of her energy, she dragged herself through the front door, minding to be as silent as possible since she didn't want to disturb the sleeping occupants. She glanced at the stairs longingly, wanting to just collapse on her futon and snore away but her hygienic needs comes first.

Instead of making her way up to her shared room with Sakura to sleep, she headed to the shower. Sasuke didn't need to take any clothes from her pack seeing as she'd put it near the bathroom. All she needed to do was pull out her plain shirt and shorts and she was done - once she showered of course.

Sasuke dried her hair with her towel - and the damp strands were already drying quickly, due to their shortness and lack of numbers; it was one of the advantages of having short hair. Also, a reminder of revenge in a strange sort of way; her hair had been long back when she was a child and her family loved to play with it. Looking at her long hair in the reflection, felt it flow down her back was a heavy burden when, after the Massacre, she woke up and seeing her tangled strands, would remember no one would brush it and braid it for her again.

Sasuke could still recall the ANBU caretakers' look of shock when they saw her new hairstyle. Since then, she'd been her own hairdresser, cutting it off messily with a kunai without so much as feeling remorse.

Sasuke ran a hand through her messy cowlick hair, her footsteps making no sound despite the wooden floor's poor quality. The Uchiha compound's floorboards were smooth, and comfortable to walk on — Tazuna's house's was creaky, and there were splinters here and there. She couldn't wait to get back home, comfy surrounding filled with bittersweet memories.

She stopped;_ home_? Where was home without a family?

Her lips curled downwards into a scowl as memories flashed past her, and what the Senju said earlier, his comment to her wish to revive the Clan, about her being a mother.

If she wanted a stronger future generation, a stronger clan, she'd need a powerful suitor, someone she could tolerate and would respect her. So far, no boy or men reached her standards and was already staring to doubt the existence of one - Kakashi might fit, but he held no respect for her and she sincerely doubted his ability to copulate despite his perverted tendencies, plus, she could barely tolerate him.

The male population in Konohagakure was pathetic, except...

Pools of blue, spikes in mockery of the sun, scent of wood, of home — she closed her eyes.

She opened them again, pulled out of her reverie, by the sounds of crying. Sasuke traced the source of the noise easily, locating it at the parlor, seeing a young boy's small, shaking form easily.

Inari; and he was crying, "D-dad..." he sniffled miserably. "I miss you...ugh-"

Memories, faces of her own father came into mind; she respected her father, despite his strictness and how he always brushed her off as insignificant; but in the end she supposed what mattered most was that he was family and she cared. Her last memories of her sire wasn't pleasant and she didn't want to relieve it — in this aspect, she supposed she could empathize with what Inari was feeling.

Sasuke wondered what she should do; leave or talk to him? The latter was something the Senju would've done. And she was curious about his source of strength; he, that despicable man she'd loved dearly to kill, had told her that bonds only weaken her yet Senju had lots of bonds and he was strong. She loathe to admit she wanted to know what made him so strong, what gave him the urge to protect others.

Hero-complex, maybe?

Whatever, she wouldn't know by just guessing. On impulse, Sasuke made herself known, stepping especially hard on the floorboard to create a sound. As expected, Inari's head jerked up in surprise. When he saw her, he scowled moodily, "What do you want?" he demanded, crossing his little arms once he'd rubbed his face free of tears - which didn't do much to hide the fact he'd been crying.

True, what did she hope to accomplish by doing so? "Do you hate him?" she asked instead and when little Inari furrowed his brows in confusion, she elaborated with a roll of her eyes, "Gatou, do you hate the man for what he'd done?"

Hate simply burned in Inari's eyes as he nodded vigorously but then the fire dimmed. "Yeah but, there's nothing we can do about him, I wish he'd just die already." He looked up abruptly. "But I know you'll fail - everyone who tried did!"

"So you're hoping for someone else to come and kill him for you?" Sasuke demanded, irritated. She felt unnerved around the boy because he reminded her so much of herself when she was younger, traumatized after the Massacre. Their hate, their anger, passion and failure - she knew Inari also felt what she felt when family died, she also had been helpless when her parents died and Inari certainly couldn't do anything when his father was executed. She wanted _past-her_ to disappear because the young girl before was a princess and weak and was helpless to do anything - she didn't want that.

She scowled, turning away. "Instead of whining and complaining, why don't you take a stand and fight back, you coward?" she said coldly, ignoring the way Inari flinched away as if he'd been slapped. "My father died before my eyes either, and I was helpless back then too, but now, I'm fighting back to get my vengeance. But, can the same be said for you, you who could make a change but didn't?

"Liberation doesn't come when you just sit and wait for it to. And even when you're free in the future, it wouldn't be your work. And later, you'd think that you don't deserve freedom you've never fought for."

She left, leaving Inari to gape at her back.

* * *

The Senju-dope didn't come back last night.

Sasuke didn't really care (she wasn't tasked with the job of mothering him), ignoring the pleading looks her teammates shot her; she continued eating - Tsunami's cooking reminded her of her mother's cooking and she savored the taste of it - and politely set her bowl down once she was done. Quietly, she excused herself, leaving just as Inari came in.

Their eyes — coal black against dark garnet — met and locked.

Sasuke studied him and noticed that there was very little of that brat in his attitude when he spoke to her ninja companions. He was starting to grow up and she was slightly pleased to know she was part of the reason — and his lots of thinking.

Now that one dope was down, there was only the other one left.

In the middle of the forest blessedly grown in Wave Country, a certain blonde-haired loudmouth ninja sneezed.

Naruto blinked wearily, sitting up and yawning, rubbing his eyes then his nose. "Ugh," he grumbled, voice muffled. "Someone 's— and I bet its that Sasuke-teme — talking bad about me!"

A soft, melodious chuckle and he looked up. "And here I thought I was about to wake you up," the girl before him smiled kindly. "You'll catch a cold if you sleep here, you know?"

He nodded numbly once he registered that the pretty girl before him wasn't Sasuke — it was just too bad. His teammate and this stranger girl had a few things in common like their looks - pale skin, dark hair and eyes — but everything differed when it came to their personality and demeanor.

For one, Sasuke would never greet him with such pleasantries. Two, Uchiha's hair wasn't that long and she definitely would never be caught dead wearing _pink_!

"Oh, uh..." Naruto rubbed his head sheepishly, wondering how long he'd been caught snoring uncouthly; man, there went his chance with this girl. "Hey, my name's Naruto, what's yours?"

The stranger girl smiled gently. "Haku," she said then, after a moment assessing her surroundings, said, "Why are you here?"

"I could ask you the same," Naruto smirked but he replied anyway. "To train."

Surprise flitted over her face momentarily before it disappeared. "I'm here to pick herbs to heal someone's wounds, ninja-san."

"Herbs?" Naruto grinned, jumping to his feet. "Let me help - I'm good with plants!"

Haku tipped her head to the side, eyes twinkling and smile widening - and gosh, Naruto just couldn't stop blushing! "Why, thank you."

The Senju paused, tipping his head to the side too, smiling as he listened to the trees' whisper, directing him to the plant they wanted. "Come on," he said. "This way!"

As they walked, there was only the sound of branches crunching beneath their feet, plants rustling and Naruto certainly didn't expect Haku to be the one to break the silence first. But the girl did anyway.

"Ne, Naruto-san, what is your dream?"

It was an odd question to ask but he answered nonetheless. "To be Hokage," he replied simply though to him, the weight and sincerity of the words were everything — to him anyway. "And to protect my precious people." So far, there was his mother, Ero-sennin, and — despite their attitude — his team. He swore he'd make the circle of precious people grow more.

"Me too, I want to protect those precious to me too," Haku said, crouching down by a flower and inspecting it as if it was something she wanted. She fingered the petal, plucking it and Naruto winced when he felt the plant's pain but he remained silent as he waited for her to finish what she had to say. "When you have something you truly want to protect, that's when you truly become strong.

"The strength we get when we find something to protect is immeasurable and unstoppable."

**xXx**

Naruto recalled, that after saying that and thanking him for his help, Haku had left. Oh, but not before telling the Senju that he was a boy. But those words, wise words about strength and precious people, struck a chord within Naruto and he knew he'd never be able to forget those words spoken to him.

And now, facing Haku in battle, the betrayal hurt but he cast it away because he recalled those words Haku had spoken. The strength to protect, he wanted it because Sasuke needed it. He needed it to save her, to protect her — she didn't look good.

"Senju," she spat the name with less venom, more with desperation and exasperation. "Think of something!"

"I'm trying — Guahh!" The last part, Sasuke surmised was because of the barrage of needles lodging into his face. Naruto's rose vines snapped up, pulling the senbons out of his face and continued deflecting as many needles as possible. Unfortunately to both clan scions, not much could be done because the speed of the vines were too slow and they respond to Naruto's sense — if he couldn't see the needles before it came, well, the vines wouldn't be able to deflect them either.

Sasuke growled as a barrage of needles rained down on her back. She twisted and turned, nearly stumbling into an ice mirror which formed her prison. She deflected another with a flick of her wrist but more just nailed her at other parts of her body. She cursed; her heart pounded and blood roared at the life threatening situation she was in; if only she had eyes that could predict and keep up with the movements of her opponents -

_There! _- Sasuke ducked as a hail of senbons flew past, clattering to the ground once they met ice. Naruto looked at her, amazed before an encouraging grin bloomed - like a flower in spring - on his face. "Great job — you got the Sharingan, now get us out of here!"

Sharingan...? Amazed herself, Sasuke's hand crept up to her eyes where it burned comfortingly - as if the bloodline of her ancestors were flowing through her. So she did inherit the gift after all, after so long without it, she'd assumed she would never gain it — like her late Uncle Obito who she could barely remember.

She didn't have time to ponder it as she found herself back-to-back with the Senju. She tried to guide the boy and his vines but they ended up nearly slapping her in the face more than they could deflect the rain of deadly needles. She snarled, "If you're just going to be a pest then get lost—" when she saw it.

A smaller number of needles, aimed and flying at the Senju's neck. She didn't know much about medical shit but she knew that was a vital point their enemy was aiming for.

She lunged, and she saw red before her body fell, cold greeted her back.

She choked on non-existent liquid and blinked dazedly when the sky turned a fantastic blue and the sun came out — oh, wait, it was merely Naruto. Her vision blurred - how can it be possible when her eyes just gained new power? - so she didn't know if it was really tears that made the blonde's eyes glisten or it was just the effect of cold crystal.

"Dope..."

"Why!"

She didn't know either, maybe she was just crazy or she was very tired of living, waking up to a cold and empty and silent household where, years back, many people greeted her with laughter and smiles? "My... my body just moved on its own. You wanted to be Hokage," her eyelids drooped as blackness threatened to claim her. "how can you be one if you died...?"

The last thing she saw was crimson, felt it blanketing her in_searingly_comfortingly_deadly_ red.

**xXx**

When she woke, when she blinked her dazed coal black eyes, Naruto didn't think there was any other moment in his life he'd felt more relief than he did now - not when he managed to wriggle out of his mother's gruesome punishment, not when he escaped from deadly enemies and kidnappers, and certainly not when he managed to control the demon in his gut.

Actually, he just lost control of it when Sasuke's body turned cold in his arms.

He knew that was the one time his heart truly stopped, when everything blanked out.

Nothing but the hate and thirst for revenge. It frightened the Senju to know he could be so easily influenced by hate and in doing so, he'd killed - _crushed_ripped_twisted_ - the androgynous boy till he was nearly unrecognizable. And what a terrible person he was for doing that to such a kind boy, who'd almost been his friend, and all Haku wanted was to be with Zabuza, repay the man and because he did it out of love. And Zabuza, they all learned, was no monster - the missng-nin fought for Haku too.

"Sasuke..." he whispered before he rubbed his burning eyes rapidly, growling and stomping his foot childishly. "Oi, teme, you could've stopped pretending long ago. We thought you — you died..." he ended miserably, distressed.

The Uchiha rolled her eyes. "Stop being so melodramatic."

Naruto huffed a laugh, kneeling down by her side, her head resting on Sakura's lap. "At least you're okay."

At least, even when he lost a friend and had taken his first kill, she hadn't been taken away.

Black fire still burned brightly, raven still stood tall and proud.

**xXx**

Naruto, as the Senju Clan's only heir and Mokuton-user, had already gained fame within the kunoichis his age and younger and some older ones too. When he and his team returned from Wave Country, he was swamped in greeting by them. Raised and pounded into his head to be a gentleman, to be nice to girls and kids alike, he mustered a painful smile as he greeted them all in return.

Their screams of sheer joy nearly deafened him.

But amongst the crowd, he saw a girl with pale skin and dark hair and eyes beneath the shadows, out of place, faded. Sasuke, his teammate; he hesitated only for a moment before he excused himself and slipped away from his fangirls and ran towards his teammate — whom he could almost consider a friend aside from rival.

They walked in silence, a companionable silence descended upon them. It was strange like that, Naruto'd be nervous if there were no talking and when it was completely silent - he'd always been a crowd person - but when he was with Sasuke, the silence wasn't all that unwelcome; dare he say it, it was silent yes but it was tranquil and was like some sort of timeout from life. But it was only with her so he called this effect Strange Sasuke Effect.

"Hn, Dobe, why did you leave them?"

"Who?"

"Your... fans."

He had a feeling she had meant to say something meaner but he shrugged it off. "Because I saw you."

"And that compels you to run to me?" She cocked an eyebrow, not understanding.

He appeared to be even more baffled. "What do you mean why? Because you're more important, teme!"

She nearly smiled.

Nearly.

**xXx**


	4. Getting Closer

**AN**

More of a filler chapter but there's developing relationship for NaruSasu. Hope they're not too OOC, do tell me if they are. Drop me a review, yo. I was also wondering if anyone can make a cover for this story - PM me if you can.

**Pairings: **SasuNaruHina (might change), HashiMada & MinaMiko (mentioned)

**Word Count: **5, 827 (Not counting AN and the following before the line break)

**Disclaimer:** I do** NOT OWN NARUTO. **If I did, Sasuke wouldn't be a guy and Naruto a Uzumaki/Namikaze.

* * *

**Felo de Se**

* * *

**Chapter Four: Getting Closer**

Sasuke's companionable attitude- which lacked the usual killer glares, grunts and growls- didn't last long. Naruto was sure he'd made some progress with her but thanks to Sakura's big mouth, blabbing about how he'd single-handedly defeated Haku, Sasuke had shut herself off from them. The blonde didn't want to blame his teammate because how was she to know the Uchiha had such a competitive attitude? Well, anyone with half a brain should know- the name was sorta the big hint.

Naruto sighed gloomily from where his team had dispersed, right before the Hokage tower. He was about to shuffle off when he heard someone calling him back. He turned, curious as to why he was being held back, to see the secretary waving at him to come back inside. He did so, a welcoming smile on his face- he swore the older woman flushed- as he inquired why he was needed.

"Ah," the brunette gathered herself quickly. "The Hokage wants to see you about something."

Naruto blinked. "Okay," he said before he bounded up the stairs, eager to see one of his idols. He had six of them- his Kaa-san, Otou-san (who, by the way, was the Fourth Hokage), Ero-senning and his ancestors, the Shodai and Nidaime. And of course, the old but powerful man he was going to see now.

He entered the room, about to call out to the old man in his usual rude- to the onlookers anyway- but someone beat him to it. "Gramps!" Naruto blinked owlishly, scratching the back of his his head as he stared at the little brown-haired boy by his side, brandishing his wooden practice shurikens like they were really deadly weapons. "Fight me! Today is the day you

"Oi, brat," Naruto, never the subtle one, said. "What're you doing threatening the Old Man—"

"Oof!"

"Haha," the Senju approached the boy testily, just as said kid whirled around to face him. Naruto was about to inquire his condition, ignoring the Hokage's weary sigh, but stopped short when the kid looked up at him with tears brimming in his eyes. "Yo, kid—"

"You tripped me!"

A vein popped on Naruto's head; he absolutely hated being accused of something he didn't do- even if it was something as trivial as this. "No," the blonde grounded out angrily. "I didn't do anything; you tripped on your own scarf!"

"Liar!" the child snapped, stomping his foot angrily on the ground before he charged the older boy, his hands wind-milling, moving but never connecting. "Monster! Demon! Traitor! Conspiracy!"

The first two stung because, mainly, it was true but Naruto tried to calm himself because he knew the child didn't mean it- for the kid's sake before he go berserk, hopefully it was not intentional. Settling for gritting his teeth, and snatching the kid up by the collar because thought the hits didn't hurt, they were annoying, he spat, "Care to repeat that?" he cocked a fist threateningly. "I'll teach you a nice lesson you'll never forget!"

"Ha," the kid laughed, though somewhat nervously, saying he wasn't intimidated by the blonde would be a big fat lie. "I dare you- if you knew who I am—"

"Unhand the Honorable Grandson at once, you heathenish villain," Naruto turned, the vein on his forehead growing and popping more when he saw the black-glasses wearing freak. What was with the cramming weirdoes anyway? Did he attract them that much? He didn't want their attention, the attention he wanted was from a few selected individuals who weren't currently present such as his mother and the Uchiha-teme —

...

...

He did not just think that. It took the Senju forever to work out that the brat was daring him to punch him right in front of the Hokage and his ANBU guards. Like Naruto cared; but his cheeks were flaming red from the previous slip of thought and what other way to erase a blush by venting his frustration?

The brat had a hard skull but if Naruto had applied chakra, he would've been nothing but a pile of brain goo but as it was, he only landed a few hard whacks which had the little boy yowling like crazy. It would've been hilarious had Naruto been paying attention.

And thinking of attention, why on earth would he want the Uchiha-teme's attention anyway? Sure she was strong, pretty and smart but —

_Nonononono_ —

"Hey!" the Hokage's grandson- Naruto heard the Old Man muttering Konohamaru with exasperation under his breath and assumed that was the child's name- sprang to his feet, clutching the growing lumps on his forehead, expression etched in pain. "That's no way to treat the future Hokage!"

The thoughts of the village leader pushed away thoughts of upright, snappy but annoyingly attractive Uchiha girls- namely those that were named Uchiha Sasuke _and please just stop thinking, brain_- and Naruto straightened, more interested in what the kid was saying. "What future Hokage?" Then he blinked and smirked deviously as the puzzled fell into places. "So you challenged your grandpa for the place? Ha! Better get in line kid, I'm the future Hokage!"

Being Hokage was a goal Naruto had ever since he learned of his heritage. His ancestors were the founders and leaders of the village, his father was and his surrogate granddad was one too; and when said surrogate granddad retire, either his mother or his godfather would be taking his place as Hokage! If he didn't become a Hokage, how was he supposed to step out of their shadows?

Naruto paused; wait... Konohamaru- the title his instructor weirdo had called him- could it be...?

"Kid, you can't take a shortcut to be a Hokage," Naruto said seriously, his expression grim for once and it effectively stopped Konohamaru in his ranting; the boy stared up at the taller boy with childlike wonder. "Being Hokage is serious and tough work, you can't fight a battle for it. It is a dream realized only through many years of hard work, dedication and discipline. You must not only earn the respect of the people to the title Hokage but the respect for the person who is the Hokage." Naruto stopped to draw in a deep breath, sounding loud even to his own ears in the silence of the room. "That said, hmph, the Hokage mantel is mine!"

Konohamaru stared at him in momentarily stunned awe before he snapped back into emo-angry-state. "Who gives—" But the Senju was no longer paying him any attention, the blonde had already strolled out of the door and very dramatically, slammed the double doors shut behind him.

The younger boy cursed himself for thinking he looked so cool.

"Minato..." Sarutobi, who had been primly ignored for his grandson even though he had been the one who wanted to see the Senju boy, whispered the name reverently. The blonde spikes, lack of bangs, markings on his cheeks did not erase the resemblance the child had to his father. He smiled faintly, he had a feeling the boy would be a great as a Hokage and hero as his father, if not, better.

Once outside, satisfied with the dramatic effect he'd make of himself, Naruto realized that he still hadn't found out what the Hokage wanted with him. "Oh, shit." But going back now would ruin the cool image he'd build for himself back there. He sighed, he'd just have to see the Old Man later. But for now, he supposed he could go for a walk, that was assuming no fangirls decided to play tag with him.

Naruto instantly regretted that decision the moment he saw a horde of girls waiting for him, eyes with hearts and they were staring right at him. Balking, he fled. "Eep!" He didn't know chicks were this crazy- Sakura was sorta like that but she could control herself better and Uchiha-teme was never like that, she always was snappish and cool and composed even though seeing her flustered would be cute —

Stupid hormones, he cursed himself as he jumped off the rooftops- it was just to his luck that most of the fangirls were ninja students and this, could use chakra and join him non the rooftops on their chase. The Senju glanced around desperately, trying to find a hiding place. He spotted a particularly silent street- even though he find it odd since the villagers bustled around in other streets- and jumped onto it, darting behind an alleyway, holding his breath and hoping that the girls would just give up already.

They did, he heard grumbles and hesitance when they faced the street he was hiding in. When they left, Naruto was acutely aware of the eerie silence and no matter how much he strained his ears, he could only hear his own heartbeat and the rush of his blood, still excited and pumped full of adrenaline from the earlier chase. He wondered if this part of town was abandoned because it was haunted. But the whole place was large and who died here to cause so many evacuations?

Naruto stepped out of the alleyway cautiously. He turned, feeling a familiar chakra approaching him, only to meet a steely coal-colored glare.

"Senju," Sasuke spat with venom, stepping out of the shadows. "What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you that," Naruto snorted, placing his crossed hands behind his head as was his habit. He studied their surroundings, he didn't need anybody to tell him that the place was truly haunted; he could just imagine the people once living here laughing, breathing and most definitely alive. "This place is creepy y' know that? Wondered who died here to leave such a presence — "

"My family died here," Sasuke practically snarled, whirling on him, her short cropped hair flying around following the movement of her head. Her glare turned a thousand times deadlier and if looks could kill, he would've been dead. "Now that you've satisfied some stupid curiosity or dare that your friends gave you- get out of my land; go back to where you Senju... people dwell."

Naruto was stunned silent before he realize he'd trespassed on forbidden territory- both literally and figuratively- and his mind was desperately working for a way to salvage the situation. "No," he protested weakly when Sasuke advanced on him, her fist clenched, her teeth grounded. "It wasn't a dare or a joke or to satisfy my curiosity either! I was running away from fangirls. I'm sorry," he mumbled, lowering his voice when he realized he'd raise his voice midspeech. "I didn't mean to, um, hurt you."

"You're not hurting me," Sasuke cut in sharply, her arms crossed as she looked at the empty streets consisted of building weathered by age and lack of use. No one was taking care of it properly, Sasuke alone probably couldn't clean the whole place though why she didn't just hire people to clean it... "You're just ruining the memory and the peace."

Peace? Naruto scanned the area, he didn't live here like Sasuke did and yet he already felt the suffocating presence and overwhelming memories of the dead. How could she bear to be here? It was a wonder she was still sane- or maybe she wasn't really that sane. But one thing was sure, there was no peace here.

"Where do you live?" he asked by way of distracting himself from his disturbing thoughts.

Sasuke scowled at him as if saying, _get out already_, but she answered. "The main house."

"Where?"

This time, she did ignore him, storming away with graceful strides; the message that he was not invited into her house was clear but Naruto ignored her. He trailed after her until they reached a particularly large house, connected with smaller branch houses, made of wood and smelled of... he took a long sniff, flowers and cooking?

Burnt cooking. "Er, did you leave the stove on or something?" Sasuke looked at him as if he was a freak- most likely because of his enhanced senses- before she disappeared into the house. Moments later, and she still did not emerge, he wandered in. As he was passing by, he saw two open shoji doors that showed them the garden... full of withered plants.

He fave a cry of horror which drew Sasuke's attention back to him. She was frowning down at her burnt... whatever coal lump she'd been cooking... food before she looked up and scowled at him. "Who invited you in? Shut up, stop making a fuss in my house and get lost."

"Which do you want me to do?"

Her glare intensified tenfold but as she made no notion of throwing him out of the house, he relaxed and wandered into the garden. "Did you try to take care of this? Man, I'm not going to sugarcoat my words but you suck at gardening. Suck badly. You've got no green thumb."

"Whatever, Flower Boy," Sasuke snorted, pulling cooking materials from her bag of groceries and sorting them out on the table before her.

"I'm just telling you, if you can't do it, why do you keep persisting?"

Her retort was sharp and edgy. "Unlike you, I don't give up. My dreams and goals may be far off and seem impossible to reach, but I'm never giving up."

"Why?"

"If I keep giving up, even once I gave up, I wouldn't be here."

Ominous silence followed, Naruto wondered if this was the atmosphere greeting Sasuke every time she came back home. No one to welcome her home, no one to ask how her day was and no one to share her problems and cherish the joy. Naruto already felt lonely and was craving the presence of his mother, Zune-nee-san and Ero-sennin even though it had only been a few weeks. How did Sasuke felt all those years alone?

It was there and then that Naruto decided Sasuke was a very strong person, not just in combat either.

"How do you live as an Academy student?"

He was ignored. But he continued asking mundane questions of her everyday life, futilely but still trying to make up to the years where no one had bothered to ask her anything- how she felt, what she was doing, was she having any fun, is she a good cook?

The last question was easily answered when, five minutes later, the kitchen was once again filled with smoke. Sasuke sighed heavily. "I'm never cooking again," she muttered out loud.

"Is what you say to yourself every time you fail terribly at cooking?" Naruto grinned teasingly when she grunted, taking that as an affirmative. He tapped his chin, wondering what he could cook for her. He brightened visibly, when he recalled he can cook a dish without fail. "I'll cook for you!" he volunteered and without waiting for an answer went rummaging around the cabinets to get materials.

"Did I even say yes?" Sasuke hissed but she sat down on a dining chair and didn't object as he moved fluidly around the kitchen.

Twenty minutes later, the empty Uchiha household was filled with the delicious aroma of ramen. The smell was heavenly, tp Naruto anyway and he couldn't wait to dig in. He clapped his hands together and exclaiming, "Itadakimatsu!" but stopped when he noticed Sasuke's grumpy face. He wondered how anyone could be so depressed before the food of gods. "It doesn't taste as good when it's soggy, you should eat up quick."

"I hate salty things."

Naruto shrugged. "You'll make an exception once you this but really, Ichiraku's ramen is even better than this! Someday, I'll get the recipe to their ramen cooking and then I'll be able to —"

"You should be a chef when your dream to be Hokage falls through." Naruto scowled at her statement, noting how she'd used _when_ instead of _if_, like she doubted he could be anything but Hokage. He was about to retort when he managed to dissect the double meanings in her words and as she continued to eat, he grinned.

"So my cooking is better than expected, eh? Tell ya what, I've been training to cook ramen ever since I first tasted it!" Naruto continued babbling about whatever it was his thoughts landed on, his voice loud and clear and he didn't bother lowering it down, not like he'd be disturbing any neighbors.

Sasuke remained silent for the most part, slurping her meal- which was disgustingly salty and torture on her tastebuds but refrained from commenting- and inserting a few scathing remarks here and there, taunting him but the Senju didn't seem to take serious offense. Eating ramen had made him far too cheerful for her to bring his mood down. She was slightly irritated by this but for once, the house wasn't silent and she could almost fool herself into thinking that any moment now, her mother would come in- perhaps back from a teatime session with her friends- and save her from this disastrous meal by cooking her soothing, preferably with tomatoes in it. And then her father would stroll in and kick the Senju-usuratonkachi out of their house and peace at last —

"Hello!" Sasuke scowled, batting Naruto's hand away from her face as he tried to draw her attention. "Are you listening to what I've just said?"

"No," she replied flatly, expecting him to take the hint and get out of her sight.

Naruto rolled his baby blue eyes, ignoring her hint and asking, "Why did you keep plants when you can't even take care of them? It's torture to them, you know?"

"Then go put them out of their misery."

"You mean uproot them from here?" Naruto arched a blonde brow before he shook his head. "They're reluctant to leave."

Sasuke stared blankly at the Mokuton-user before she turned to the yellow-ish plants in her mother's garden; it was that garden which sustained their crops, they never need to buy vegetables from the store, they all just plucked what they need from her mother's garden. It was strange that she and the usuratonkachi were referring to the plants as if they're real, well, people. Either the Senju had lost a few screws in his head or it was his bloodline limit; she decided it was a little bit of both and settled to listen to what he was babbling on about, it wasn't that she was interested or anything, it's just that what he said sometimes was amusing and she had nothing better to do now.

"—anyway, I was thinking of helping them grow and flourish better here. If I teach you how to care for them better, would you follow my instructions? They're very loyal to their former caretaker, y'know, said it was your mother who had a green thumb."

"I inherited my father's ability to kill plants with a touch," Sasuke inserted dryly. When Naruto didn't say anything, she turned briefly to throw him a curious look. "What?"

"Y -you... did you just MAKE a JOKE?" Naruto gasped dramatically. "What happened to the Uchiha-teme I once knew?"

Her patience was at her limit. "Get out," she said coldly and instantly Naruto shrunk.

"Okay, okay," he conceded, raising his palms up as a sign of defeat. "I won't rile ya up... much but we have plants to save. Come on, watch closely as to what I do now—"

"Do it whenever you're here."

Naruto stared at her, shocked. "Is that an invitation for me to come-and-go as I please?"

"You'd just stroll in here without permission, anyway," Sasuke snapped back sharply, turning away to hide the faint blush, silently cursing herself for being so careless with her words. "You might as well do something productive."

Naruto grinned widely. "So you're no longer jealous of me beating Haku?"

"Get out of here, usuratonkachi."

"Oh, damn it—!"

* * *

Sarutobi Hiruzen was pleasantly surprised, to say the least, when he saw the two founder clan heirs interacting with little hostility. Sarutobi had always been worried with the Uchiha heiress' mental state, her reclusive nature and her unwillingness to associate with anybody and only concentrated on her hate and revenge on her older brother.

His surprise was bordering on shock when Sasuke actually invited the boy to her house- well, not like normal people, but from her actions, it was as good as a welcome translating from Uchiha-speak- and didn't seem hellbent on getting rid of him and his corpse anytime soon.

Sarutobi smiled slightly at the orb where he used to spy on his villagers. He'd been trying to find his grandson Konohamaru who'd run after the Senju after their brief confrontation, but he decided that finding the Senju was easier first since Konohamaru will be looking for him anyway- and when his grandson set his sights on a goal, he was never giving up.

To his surprise however, he'd found the boy hanging out with the Uchiha heiress- it was both a pleasant and unpleasant development. The latter especially so once the council found out about how they were willing to tolerate one another. Toleration- that was how the clan heirs responded to one another even though Naruto had reached out to Sasuke, it would take a very, very long time before Sasuke would place her trust in Naruto and extend a hand for companionship.

But with the council pushing for an arranged marriage between two extinct clans, the budding friendship would be destroyed. And even if both clan scions were interested in one another that way, the Hyuuga Clan head had already called dibs on the two; Senju marry his older daughter, Uchiha marry his nephew- a Hyuuga Branch Member. Sarutobi nearly snorted at Hiashi's arrogance- what made him think Sasuke would marry a Hyuuga, much less a Branch Member?

The arranged marriage had been what Sarutobi had wanted to tell Naruto- and Sasuke but he decided to break the news separately in case both of them go berserk at the same time. Sarutobi knew she could easily refuse it since she was her on guardian but Naruto was to be engaged until his mother's say-so. Tsunade didn't particularly like the Hyuugas but even Sarutobi agree that Hinata was a sweet girl and someone the blonde woman would like as her daughter-in-law. Besides, Sarutobi already a crush the Hyuuga girl had for the Senju boy. It would be perfect, unless of course, Naruto liked Sasuke better.

From what Sarutobi can gather from his mentors- Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama- the older Senju brother actually enjoyed Uchiha Madara's company. Naruto seemed to have inherited his altruistic genes and his fondness for Uchihas that are considered a lost cause.

Sarutobi waved his hand over the orb, distorting the image of Sasuke and Naruto, bickering about something trivial. For the sake of Sasuke and the extinct clans, he wished that the Senju-Uchiha marriage will go through, that way, Sasuke would not leave the village and would have more reason to stay in the village, protecting it instead of destroying it.

He just knew she would once she learned of the truth of the Uchiha Massacre. He just hoped it wouldn't come down to that.

* * *

It had to be him, the father of the child.

The moment Uzumaki Kushina laid eyes on the fleeing Senju- who'd been the talk of the town- a flash of yellow streaking across the rooftops followed by a horde of fangirls, a familiar scene that sent Kushina careening into the past. She'd gasped, and had immediately ditched her company to follow the young Senju.

She was an ANBU, thus, making it easy for her to conceal herself from the two clan heirs when she was spying on them. Their interaction reminded her strongly of Mikoto and Minato. Kushina knew the two had been past lovers before Mikoto was married off to Fugaku and she came to steal Minato's heart away.

Minato's heart was easy to steal, Kushina grumbled, recalling how Minato had broken to her that he was a soon-to-be-father. She'd punched him and said they were over- before he could even though that his purpose- and had stormed off. She gave him the cold shoulder, or cold and harsh words.

What Kushina wouldn't give to turn back time and wished she'd been more considerate and more accepting of his situation. If she'd know Minato would die in the months she ignored him and hated him, she wouldn't have said such harsh words to him. When he died, she vowed to make it up to the love of her life by treating his child better but she found no trace of the mysterious child.

And besides, Minato and his child had relieved her of the burden of Kyubi.

Minato's death had been her fault, she recalled, her hand cradling her abdomen where the nine tails once been imprisoned. She'd let her guard down and let the enemy capture her, and had tried extracting the Kyubi and had succeeded in unleashing it on a rampage on Konoha.

But then Minato had appeared, told her he'd seal the monster in his infant son and disappeared in a flash of yellow as she passed out. Then when she'd wake, she was only told he was dead and so was the infant, unable to take the burden of the Kyubi. Yeah, right, like she believed such crap. If the child's was Minato's, it wouldn't be real if he suddenly dropped dead from being a jailer.

Look up the word persistent, Minato's face would be printed there. She snorted softly, gazing down at where Naruto waved goodbye at his 'friend' even when she slammed the door shut in his face, she muttered something which was muffled to Kushina by the distance and the wooden walls but Naruto heard her clearly and responded with a cheery goodnight. Somehow, from her past experiences with Uchihas, Kushina knew the girl hadn't actually said goodnight.

She shrugged, her job wasn't over yet. She still had the job of testing the Genins, see whether their Jounin instructors were right and that they were ready for the Chunin Exams. She pulled her white mask over her face and flared some of her chakra, slightly just to see which one of them was alert/skilled enough to notice her.

She noticed how subtly the Senju had tensed, he hesitated before darting back to the house, calling loudly in farce, "Oi, Uchiha, I left my kunai pouch there, can I come in? I can't possibly go home _unarmed_." There was strong emphasis at the last word; Kushina didn't fall for it but her kouhai did. She let out an agitated hiss when he darted forward, ignoring her signals.

Kurama Ryu was arrogant and snobbish, just because he made it into ANBU younger than the average (but not as young as Itachi), he found it right to flaunt his talents around and go on blatantly ignoring his superior's orders, subtly of course and before the Hokage, he was as obedient as a dog.

Ryu launched a hail of kunais and senbons the same time Kushina face-palmed, resigning herself to just watch and drag the severely injured to the hospital. The door slid open, Kushina watched as the Uchiha pulled the Senju into her house, counter-attacking with a hail of kunais of her own. Each, precisely, caught Ryu's and intercepted them. The metal weapons clattered to the cobble-stoned ground, useless as Ryu landed on the tree branch behind Kushina.

"Well, Hisoka?" Ryu snapped, elbowing the sole Chunin in the group of tree harshly, his voice taunting and jeering. "What do your All-seeing eyes see?"

Hisoka scowled heavily behind his mask but did nothing to retaliate against his superior officer, thin lipped, he stated, "They're gone." He stopped, realizing the heavy implication of his own statement.

"Where?" Kushina asked, warily as she hadn't notice their moving.

Hisoka scanned the area: up, left, right, everywhere, nil result. "I think they ran," he said and even to his own ears, it sounded unlikely that either Senju or Uchiha would run- the former was too challenging of a person and the latter would not take a wounded pride back home, especially dealt from someone who intruded her home.

Abruptly, the Hyuga Branch Member felt the branch he was on shifting, moving like a wave. His reflexes kicked in and he jumped off the tree, landing on the ground. He heard his female commander call out a warning before he felt something clamping down on his legs and pulling with him down. Hisoka didn't think he'd face such capable Genin- especially those of that useless Hinata's generation- so he'd let his guard down, believing nothing could pass his Byakugan. There was his fatal mistake because red eyes- the Sharingan, his mind supplied numbly- on a pale pretty face bore down on him.

She quirked a brow when she saw his eyes- he wondered if the Uchiha was going to claw his eyes out. Fortunately for him, she didn't because that was when Ryu lunged at her. The Kurama clan member didn't get a chance to hurt her because roots shoot out from the ground, catching his ankle and pulling him back.

"Now!"

Uchiha lashed out, her blows and kicks rapid and powerful before the root the Senju was manipulating sent him crashing into trees that encased him. Hisoka couldn't believe they were outdoned by Genins- but that was because they had the element of surprise and their assailant had severely underestimated them. Hisoka cursed himself; he swore to not be like Ryu, underestimating everybody every single fucking time and make someone feel so damn insignificant, but wasn't he doing the same now with the clan heirs? He thought that without a clan to back them up, they'd be like Ryu- heads in the clouds because their advantages was bestowed upon them just because of their clan name- all talk, nothing to prove themselves.

What was he dreaming about? Of course the Uchiha and Senju Clan had been stronger than the Hyuuga Clan- especially members of a Branch Member. Countless times, Hisoka, as a child and even now as an adult, he wished he wasn't born a Hyuuga. He could do without the prestigious reputation and —

Shit, he was getting distracted, off track- and by no means was he jealous of the other clans' strength. First, to get out of there and help his thrashing teammate and commander who was dodging every attack from the clan heirs swiftly. At least Kushina was skilled, she wasn't underestimating the Genins unlike her team- who were currently decapitated.

Naruto exchanged a brief glance with Sasuke, the message was clear: confrontation time. Because this chick and her lackeys were obviously from Konoha, unless they slipped in and dressed themselves as one of them. Before the blonde can say anything, he gasped at the number of enemies, multiplying, why hadn't he noticed them earlier hiding in the forest surrounding the Uchiha Compound?

Stupid, he cursed himself, now he'd endangered Sasuke and himself with his carelessness and _despair clutched his chest, fear's grip unrelenting and maybe he should just give up and resign himself to fate after all what's the point of fighting the inevitable they couldn't possibly win_—

"Senju- oi, usuratonkachi!" A hand clamped onto his shoulder, expelling the foreign chakra on him, inserting instead her fiery yet soothing chakra into his woodwind smell. Naruto blinked, dazed and stared at Sasuke for explanation. "You're under her genjutsu. You suck badly, that was a low level genjutsu and you couldn't even handle it?" she sounded skeptical herself, as if she thought he was playing a joke on her.

"Sorry," he muttered distractedly, gazing around. "Where's —"

"Gone. She left with her lackeys. I threatened his life, in exchange for his life, they'd leave us alone."

"That much passed in a second?" Now it was his turn to sound skeptical.

Sasuke scowled heavily, standing up walking away even as he scrambled up to his feet. "You were out for five minutes, dobe. I had to take care of you- do you know how fucking it is out here?" And she was gone, into her own house after slamming the door shut. Just as the sky cracked open and rain poured onto him.

Naruto approached the door, and in the most whiney voice he could muster- which wasn't hard since he'd been such a failure and pass out from just a minor genjutsu and leaving his teammate to deal with the enemy alone- and called out, "Ne, let me in. Can I stay for one night?"

No answer but he heard some shuffling sounds.

He knew sounds- constant and mundane and annoying- made her tick so he started moaning, groaning and complaining. It rained harder. Just as he was about to increase the volume to annoy her, the door was slammed open, revealing a disheveled and enraged Sasuke. "Get in. Dry yourself. Shut up. Sleep. Get out."

Naruto bounced on the soles of his feet. "Sure!" he agreed cheerily even as Sasuke threw a towel at him, the force of the slap stinging his cheek but he didn't complain. Allowing him to sleepover was already bordering on kindness for her- and he wasn't really in the mood to go back to his apartment which its leaky ceilings, and many inappropriate noises from the neighborhood (which was the red light district).

Naruto was about to slump on the couch after drying his hair and stripping till his boxers when he saw a yukata thrown haphazardly on it. He slid into it easily, comfortable as he threw himself down on the couch, eyes already drooping though he told his plants to be on the guard just in case some intruders decided to pay them a visit again.

His attempts to keep his guard up was futile as he was already snoring away the next second.

Sasuke scowled down unhappily at her guest- unwillingly on her part but he did help her garden back to tiptop shape and it was an important memento from her mother and her parents had raised her up to be grateful and never be in anyone's debt if you could help it- who was wearing her yukata. She didn't even think it would fit him. She had laid it out for her to change into but he'd taken it. Stupid dobe.

She huffed, deciding that waking him up was a lost cause- involving more noises and whines and generally less sleep- and walked up the stairs.

"Sas'ke." The pale girl stopped by the third step, gaping disbelievingly at the slumbering Senju. What and why on earth was he dreaming about her? Or was he actually awake and was teasing her? She scowled, stomping up the stairs now, but even the rain and her own footsteps wasn't enough to drown out his next words. "G'night."

"Unpleasant night, dobe," she returned as she closed her door. Never would she admit the strange fluttering feelings in her stomach.


	5. Chunin Exam Part I

**Author's Note: **Apparently, some of you are confused, . thinking that this is NaruHina. Gotta clear this up: it _**won'**_t be. It's just one-sided feelings on her part and to make things intense later. In the end, it's going to be NaruSasu/SasuNaru - whatever you call the couple.

I don't have the best memory of the anime/manga so it would be nice if someone would tell me if I missed something out.

Let me explain, four in Chinese and a few slang are pronounced the same as 'death' so yeah, it consider as bad luck.

**Warnings:** Some Ino bashing - but not too much or noticeable.

**\**

**Chapter Five: Chunin Exams Part I**

When Sakura saw Sasuke and Naruto came to the designated training ground of Team Seven, she knew something was off. Well, not that they were acting differently or anything; Naruto was chattering loudly about something as usual and Sasuke was doing a plenty good job of ignoring him. So, on first glance, nothing was wrong, to the onlookers anyway.

Sakura, despite her fangirlish tendencies, was observant and had an analytic mind — or so Kakashi-sensei said anyway. Firstly, Sakura knew that Sasuke wouldn't be coming from the same direction as Naruto, usually the pale girl came from the east while the boy came from the southern part. But then again, they could've just used different direction but even so, did they really have to walk together with such close proximity?

Was something going on between the two clan heirs? Sakura felt a swell of disappointment and excitement the same time. She had a feeling that with the intense Uchiha and the sweet Senju, the love story would be one heck of a drama to watch. But at the same time, what about her and Naruto? She love — ehem, has a crush on him, should she just give up like that?

The intricate of love baffled even her sometimes. She'd have to ask Ino, her best friend who was an expert in this aspect.

"Good morning, Naruto-kun!" Sakura greeted, a pretty blush coloring her cheeks. Naruto grinned and returned the greeting with enthusiasm twice hers. Hesitantly, she turned her gaze to the icy Uchiha who had took to leaning against a tree, crossing her arms and doing her best to impersonate a statue. She cleared her throat awkwardly. "Good morning to you too, um, Sasuke-chan."

Said girl grunted in acknowledgement but it was enough to make Sakura beam; that was already an equivalent to a greeting. Naruto smiled fondly when he saw it too; maybe it was just a trick of the light or her overactive mind tricking her but she thought the smile was a tad too fond to be aimed at someone's rival.

Before she could say anything to the matter, their teacher suddenly poofed into existence by their side. "Yo!" he greeted, raising a hand in a slight wave, the other hand keeping a firm grip on his perverted novel. "Tired of waiting?"

"You're late!" After the initial yelling, Sakura huffed. "We came two hours later than the time you deigned to give us. We knew you'd be late."

"You're earlier than usual," Naruto grumbled, pissed that his teacher had to act so casually. He'd nearly spat fire in the man's face during their first D-rank mission. He'd never been the most patient boy on earth. "What's the occasion?"

"I'll tell you all later once we completed this D-rank mission," Kakashi said cheerfully, single visible eye crinkling up into a smile, amused at the collective groans. From A-rank to a D-rank. Hehe, he liked seeing the disappointment on their faces. The Hokage had actually offered an A-rank — the council pushed for it, they had deemed the clan scions capable of handling such high level missions and with a Hatake by their side, what could go wrong? — but Kakashi rejected it, best not to get the kids' head full of ideas and feed their egos. Hokage-sama actually looked relieved when he asked for a simple D-rank mission. But the curse of all Genins were coming back again.

Naruto sighed, moaned and griped about the mission but Sakura asked, already resigned, "What's it about?"

"You're to retrieve a cat, Tora"— At the mention of the name, Kakashi saw Sasuke pale considerably, obviously, she'd heard of the demon cat from her relatives when they were genin and were forced to chase the hell-cat down. Kakashi could sympathize, he was once cursed to, after all —"which belongs to the Damaiyo's wife, Shijimi-sama."

"How does it look it?"

"What are its attributes?"

"Orange, stripped, sneaky, will run when it sees us coming." Surprisingly, Sasuke answered for Kakashi.

The man himself smiled.

"Oh, it seems that you already have a cat-expert in your crowd. Good luck, then! Come to the Hokage tower once you're done!" He placed his fingers in the signature Shunshin jutsu handseal but stopped. "Oh, silly me, I almost forgot." His hand crept into his pouch, rummaging around before he got what he wanted and threw them in the genins direction. "Use that for communication purpose. Ta-ta!" And he was gone.

Naruto's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "What sort of teacher is he?"

"Not a good one, that much we know," Sakura sighed heavily. And it was true, whenever they trained, Kakashi most focused on Sasuke. Only when Sakura and Naruto pestered their teacher endlessly did he teach them. Sakura had seen it happen miles away that this would happen if she were to be grouped with clan heirs. Clan kids were usually given priority than civvies so there wasn't anything unusual there. Still, some part of Sakura held hope that their teacher wouldn't be as bias. Huh, so much for hope.

"Let's just go," Sasuke grumped, already stalking off into another direction.

"How did it feel mimicking a statue, teme?" Naruto snickered, ignoring the filthy glare thrown his way. He rolled his eyes then turned his grin on Sakura, oblivious to her reddening cheeks. "Come on, let's get going!" he declared enthusiastically.

**\**

It was with a very drained enthusiasm and many scratches on them that Team Seven returned to the Hokage Tower with a stupid hellcat in tow. Naruto was beyond furious, evidently even being peed on by a cat could snap his patience. It took all of Sakura's willpower to not giggle at the Senju's face when the cat peed on his sandals and exposed toes.

Sasuke had even cracked a smile which complemented her face perfectly and Naruto might have appreciated it more if he wasn't too busy cleaning his feet and throwing death glares at the perfectly now contented cat in Sakura's arms.

"We're done, _Sensei_," Naruto spat with vehemence, throwing one last furious glare at the cat. But his mood changed to sadistic glee the moment he saw the cat being squished to death by its owner. No wonder it ran away, Naruto might've pitied it if it hadn't offended him so. The blonde appreciated his cleanliness and he preferred to be as immaculate as possible while on a mission — but he'd accepted the fact that some dirt was unavoidable.

Sasuke shared Naruto's contempt towards their sensei for saddling them with the demon-cat but instead of verbally abusing him, she settled for death glares.

"Good riddance," Sakura growled irritably, hearing Inner Sakura egging her on, when the doors slammed shut, announcing Shijimi and Tora's departure. "Mo~ Sensei, no more next time!"

Cheerily, Kakashi said, "No promises," as he signed the mission scroll, signaling its completion and retrieving their pay. "Come on," he told his cute genins, ushering them out of the conference room and out of the Hokage Tower.

"Ne, ne, sensei," Naruto interrupted, wiggling away when Kakashi tried to push him out of the door. "What's the stuff you wanted to tell us this morning, before the mission? You promised you'll tell us after we completed it!"

"What do you mean?" Kakashi teased, feigning ignorance.

Naruto pouted, his big blue eyes enlarged for further effect and lips pushed out. Man, he was almost as good as Minato-sensei when he gave those doe-eyes to Kushina-nee-san every time they argue — _stop, Kakashi, you're summoning those painful memories again_, the silver-haired man chided himself. He knew talking to oneself — mentally or not — was a sign of insanity but he was a ninja, and talking to oneself is not uncommon among them though civvies do look at them oddly.

"Well," Kakashi drawled, enjoying how Sakura and Naruto practically vibrated with curiosity and impatience; Sasuke looked disinterested but he could see how her shoulders tensed in anticipation. "Hm, maybe another time —"

"Sensei!"

Aw, how cute, they're all pouting now and looking at him imploringly. Did he mention how he loved to mess with his genins? They were his first bunch and yet they were adorable—easy to tease, bully, and he could laugh whenever they fail/tire out at a minor chore.

"Eh, well, I nominated all of you for the Chunin Exams."

Silence greeted his statement; Sakura and Sasuke were staring at him, stunned though the latter hid it well and it didn't take her long to go back to being smug and proud. "Nice," he thought he heard her mutter under her breath. His eyes narrowed, great. She must be thinking this was a step closer to getting stronger and killing her brother. He hoped it wouldn't get to her head much; the little prick — uh, the little girl (much better), was already obsessed enough.

Naruto remained that blank expression, which made Kakashi wonder whether the news had been that shocking. When he snapped his fingers in front of the boy's face, the blonde snapped out of his stupor and chuckled sheepishly. "Uh... what's the Chunin Exam?"

Sakura nearly walked into a lamppost when she heard the question. She stumbled before she regained her footing. "What!" she nearly screeched. "How can you not know something even civilians know about?!"

Naruto stuck his tongue out sheepishly, looking at Kakashi for an explanation. "That's because I live a hermit life with my family before I became a ninja here -ttebayo!"

Kakashi eye-smiled, ready to take a leave before the genins pester him into doing anything not worth the trouble. He handed each of them a pass. "Well, the time and place are all written there. Whether you chose to go or not is your own choice! Don't be late —"

"You have no right to say such a thing, sensei," Naruto interjected moodily before his mood did a 180-degree turn as he looped his arms around his teacher's neck. "But that said; I love you, sensei," he practically gushed. "Finally, an advance in rank, more challenges. Woo-hoo! Yeah!"

"Get off," the silver-haired jounin snapped, pushing the brat off him. Better get out of here before one of them decided to use him as a huggable material again again. "Bye."

"... say, what is the Chunin Exams for again?"

"An advance in rank," Sasuke replied, irritated as she stuffed her own pass into her pocket. "like you said."

"Hey, how about we celebrate this event?" Naruto suggested, eyes wide with excitement that did not reach his teammates. He faltered when Sasuke ignored him — nothing unusual there — and breezed past; dimly, his brain noted that she smelled off smoke (most likely another one of her failed attempts at cooking again or she was practicing her fire jutsus) that wasn't entirely unpleasant. Even Sakura seemed drained of energy which baffled the Senju.

The pink-haired girl mustered a shaky smile, a pathetic excuse to leave then turn around just to do so.

Instantly, even before their backs had faded from view, Naruto felt lonely and abandoned. He sighed gloomily, their teamwork seemed to have diminished back to the day they met again — which was, nil. Oh, how sad his life was. When was his family coming again? He missed them, maybe it was time to write a letter to them.

Rustling from behind him alerted a new presence. A ninja? Naruto ditched the idea the moment he turned and saw the box. Obviously, someone was the trying to camouflage his presence but failed terribly. A civilian kid? Not even an Academy student could suck so badly, he wouldn't assume it was one.

"Stop trying to hide," Naruto said irritably, eyebrow twitching when the kid hiding didn't give up the act. "I know you're there."

Instantly, the box was thrown upwards but Naruto couldn't make out the hiding kid because of the smoke bombs thrown at the ground. Much to his surprise, the kid didn't run away but instead, he was coughing. "Damn it," the familiar voice of a whiny brat came from behind the smokescreen as he stumbled out of the smoke. "Too much for a dramatic entrance." Then he paused and looked up at the baffled Senju.

Konohamaru grinned widely.

"Ha, as expected of Oyabun! He figured out my presence easily, no one had been able to do that before! You should be proud!" he declared, pointing a finger at Naruto and laughed.

Naruto sweatdropped. He had a feeling that it was only because they didn't want to upset the kid by revealing he sucked at stealth when he was so convinced he was that great. "Er, so, kid, what's with the name-calling and stalking?"

"I've decided, from this day onward, you are my boss!" Before Naruto can make a reply, Konohamaru had already latched onto him. "So, Oyabun, tell me, is there a jutsu I can use to defeat my Gramps?" he asked excitedly, eyes gleaming.

Naruto was about to admonished him that he couldn't use a shortcut but then an idea sprang to mind. He did have a jutsu he created awhile ago but just hadn't dared to try it in front of his mother and Ero-sennin and besides, didn't Ero-sennin said something about the Old Man being a closet pervert?

Naruto felt a lewd grin crawling onto his face as he pat the shoulder of his disciple. "Well, now..."

**\**

Sakura was worried. Extremely so, about the exam. On one hand, she wanted to take the test along with her team and show the world how capable of a kunoichi she was. On the other hand, she wasn't that confident about her own skills. She knew that she and her teammates had improved greatly since taken under Kakashi's wing and had learnt a lot but... the ones that had improved the most was Sasuke.

She and Naruto were secondary. But the Senju had his own personal trainers — Naruto had said that his family members were coming to train him — so he didn't have to worry much. She had no one to teach her anything, again, she had to confront Ino about this. Her blonde best friend might be able to help.

Her friend's place was where she was heading now but she decided to stop by the flower shop just in case she was tasked with looking after the store again. Sakura's instincts were right because Ino was there, sighing about a bored day. But the blonde girl brightened considerably when she saw her best friend!

"Sakura!" Ino waved wildly, gesturing for her to come forward hurriedly. "What brings you here?"

"I need help," Sakura moaned and started pouring her heart out to her best friend. Unnoticed by her, Ino's lips thinned when she mentioned her feelings towards the blonde Senju. "What do you think I should do?" she griped. "Should I join the exams?"

Ino was tempted to say no, because then Sakura would be hanging off Naruto's arm like a leech and Ino didn't want to see it. But one look at her long time best friend made her swallow all the cruel words and smile blithely. "Well, you can look for a female teacher who can understand your concerns," she ventured, not knowing what advice to offer without sounding too bitter and giving the other girl a better advantage over her. "How about Kurenai-sensei? She's a mistress of genjutsu and you have an affinity for it, right?"

Sakura nodded, biting her lip and considering. "But what about Naruto-kun and Sasuke-chan?"

Ugh. Outwardly, she tried to remain pleasant. "If they like one another," she said deviously, trying to keep the bite out of her tone. "Maybe you should just give up."

Sakura looked up, shocked at that. "Ino!" she said. "I thought you would be the last person to tell me to give up!"

Ino felt resentment stirring in her — a tumor of bitterness, jealousy and annoyance that she'd been carrying around ever since she saw Sakura and her new team chattering away. That Team Seven had been the talk of the town, of how great the clan scions were and that the teacher was famous; even Sakura who was nothing special (just a civilian child), had been brought into a special light ("My, isn't she a bright girl to be on the same team as such great people?" "She must be a child prodigy, too then.")

"Maybe you don't know me as well as you think you did," the Yamanaka returned scathingly, face and tone cold.

Only when Sakura stood and turn to flee the shop did she realize she'd been too mean. She winced. "Wait, Sakura — " she stretched an arm out but her friend stumbled away.

"Sorry," she said, her voice cracking. "I — I won't bother you ever again."

The mint-eyed girl choked back a sob as even her best friend turned her back on her. What should she do now? She needed someone to spill her worries about the Chunin Exams to, her parents just won't do because they'd actively discouraged her chasing the career as a ninja, and would probably lock her up to keep her safe from the dangers of the Chunin Exams. She couldn't even tell them about it, she thought sullenly.

"Sakura," a sharp voice cut in scathingly into her thoughts, the tone of voice almost as impersonal and cold as Ino's earlier. Sakura swallowed thickly, pushing back the memories of her falling out with her friend to the back of her mind and turned to face the speaker. She was mildly surprised to see Sasuke.

The Uchiha's clothes — her blue shirt with the signature uchihwa wet with sweat and her shorts dirty — clung to her skin like a second layer. She had her arms crossed and she was slightly breathless; no doubt she had been training while Sakura was moping around and whining.

"Yes?" Sakura asked when she realized her teammate was looking at her with something akin to concern in her dark eyes. "Do you need anything?" What could I possibly give you, she thought bitterly.

"Have you..." the pale girl arched an eyebrow. "...been crying?"

Vehemently, Sakura rubbed away the remnants of her weakness. "No," she said forcefully.

"Someone bullied you?"

That statement inflamed Sakura's temper, somewhere, she knew that Sasuke was only concerned about her but she could barely keep her bitterness in check. Even Sasuke, her own teammate, thought she was weak and couldn't defend herself. A deadweight.

"The Chunin Exams," she said through gritted teeth. "I'll be there."

"Good," Sasuke said even though she herself was mystified with Sakura's attitude. When her pink-haired teammate left, she had half the mind to call her back and glare at her till she talked. Pursing her lips, she settled for following her, maybe there was some bastard out there bothering her?

She wouldn't admit it but she was starting to grow fond of her team. Sometimes, when she thought about them or when she saw their team picture — their poses etched eternally into memory and never fading — it kept the nightmares and dead memories at bay.

Even if for a moment.

**\**

"Oyabun, as a reward for mastering the jutsu you taught me, will you play ninja with me and my friends?"

Naruto lifted his blue-eyed gaze — which Moegi thought was superbly cute and she could already feel a crush developing — to inspect the friends Konohamaru had brought with him. When the brunette had suddenly sped off without so much as a thank-you after the lesson, he thought it was rude and it had left him with nothing to do. He didn't expect the brat to bring his lackeys with him.

"I am a ninja," the Senju said after a long moment.

Konohamaru pouted.

"Humor us!" With a sigh, confronted with three puppy-eyes from the kids — so this nagging feeling of guilt was how his guardians felt whenever he used this card on them? — he agreed, albeit reluctantly.

"So, who's the bad guy?"

"Well, you," Udon — or so Naruto thought his name was, he didn't care much about the name — said, his tone carrying a heavy undertone of "duh" which was able to rub the blonde the wrong way. Man, the kid really was snotty, especially with his running nose. And, ugh, ew, he just rubbed the germ with his sleeves. As a part-time medic-nin, Naruto felt disgusted and he was tempted to lecture them the importance of proper hygiene but he had a feeling they wouldn't appreciate it.

He settled for groaning. "Fine." When he saw Moegi pout at this rather enthusiastic response, as a gentleman, he mustered up a grin. "You better run, or I'll win!"

The kids ran, laughing, overjoyed they finally got to play with someone other than their own gang. Naruto ran after them half-heartedly, silently wondering would it be wise to continue playing when he should be getting ready for tomorrow's exam. A part of his mind said that now would be too late to actually learn anything and he whole-heartedly agreed with his inner voice.

"Naruto?" the boy paused, stopping in his jog as he turned around, eyebrow twitching in annoyance at the female voice — enough fangirls had approached him for today, he didn't need anymore thank you very much — but it dispersed to be replaced by a grin when he realized it was Sakura. "What are you doing here?" the girl asked curiously.

Sensing that the older boy had stopped pursuing, Konohamaru was the first to pop out of his hiding place. He approached the blonde boy, followed timidly by Udon and Moegi, staring at the newcomer shyly and with no little amount of curiosity.

"Who's she, Oyabun?" the Grandson of the Hokage asked rather snobbishly though Naruto knew he didn't mean it. A devious grin crawled up his face. "Is she your girlfriend?" he giggled at the flaming cheeks of Sakura and a tint on Naruto's face. The latter grabbed him by the shoulder in warning, like he wanted to flung the younger boy into the sky but Konohamaru continued with his comments. "Hehe, don't have to be so embarrassed but if you ask me, her forehead's a little bit big though..."

The last comment was followed with echoing calls of agreement from his friends. Naruto made the mistake of saying, "Eheh, you're right but — " he stopped when he felt the killer intent. He blanched when he saw Sakura cracking her knuckles, ready to give them all a good beating. "Yikes! Run!"

Seriously, Sakura's almost as bad as his mother; he just hoped that the day where they unite in beating him up would never come.

"Ow!"

Naruto skidded to a stop, hands snatching up Udon's and Moegi's collar before they ended up colliding with the unknown ninja like Konohamaru did. He sensed Sakura stopping too, the killer intent dispersing as she faced the newcomer; she hastily lowered her fist when she noticed the foreign headband. The different headband drew Naruto's attention too but he remained and impassive face.

The calmness facade disappeared as a frown fought its way there when the foreign ninja snatched Konohamaru up by his long scarf. "You little brat," the tattooed-face boy spat in annoyance, angered at something as petty as this, wow, he must've ego the size of an ocean. Wisely, Naruto kept that comment to his himself when an not-so-pretty grimace appeared on the other boy's face. "Watch where you're going, or am I gonna hafta' teach ya a lesson, huh?"

Naruto scowled heavily at the slur. "Unhand him," he stressed, trying to keep the hostility out of his tone but he must've failed because the look the taller boy shot him was not one of diplomacy. "It was just an accident."

"Yeah," said Sakura, piping up to save the quickly worsening situation. "We're so sorry. We were just playing around and he must not have seen you — "

"You guys are ninjas," the mean guy sneered. "Shouldn't you be more perceptive of your surroundings? And playing with kids?" He snorted dismissively. "What a bunch of losers."

Naruto was tempted to snarl _fuck you_, but since there were kids there, he refrained from outright cursing. Before he could retort, Konohamaru beat him to it.

"My Oyabun can kick your ass any day!" he yelled, clenching his small fists and glowering up at the boy holding him captive. "Bring it on! He'll show you that you and your village suck badly!"

"That does it kid, no one insults my village," the ninja snarled, raising a hand to punch the grandson of the Hokage. Before he could seriously hurt him though, Naruto sensed, rather than saw, a stone connecting painfully with his knuckles. He whistled appreciatively, if the assailant had applied more force to it... she could seriously break some bones.

The foreign ninja howled in pain — and he called the Konoha ninjas_ losers_ — dropping and pushing the brat roughly away from him. Moegi and Udon caught Konohamaru and as one, they skirted off to hide behind Naruto and Sakura, still brave enough to stick their tongues out to mock their opponents. He snarled, whipping his head up to the tree that canopied them to see whoever had attacked him.

Naruto smirked, already knowing who it was without looking. "Great timing as ever, Uchiha-teme, such a show-off."

Sasuke ignored her rival, eyes narrowed and cold as she glared down at the foreign ninja, noting how he'd pulled the mummy on his back out, muscles tensed as if wanting to pick a fight. "Go back to your village, boy. What do you think you're doing when you mess with the Hokage's grandson? Are you trying to incite a war?"

"She's right, Kankuro," a new female voice stated. Sakura scowled when she saw the female ninja approaching them, hips swaying seductively, her eyes aimed on Naruto and her smile flirtatious. "He's the Hokage's grandson and you'll be paying with your life if you hurt him." Then she winked at the group of Konohanians. "Ignore my brother's idiotic tendencies. We're from Sand actually — "

"Get out of my way, Temari," Kankuro snarled in a tone that one won't usually use on their older sister. "I'll teach these bunch of tree-huggers a lesson they'll never forget!"

Sasuke's eyes flared red but she kept her temper and Sharingan in check. "The only tree-hugger here is that Senju," she jabbed a thumb at Naruto, seemingly offended. "And the only one being taught a lesson here will be you once we're through with you."

"I can't watch this," Temari sighed, shaking her head, already imagining the disaster this would cause.

"Kankuro... Temari... stop this nonsense now," a masculine and raspy voice rasped, shocking the group of gathered ninjas. "You're an embarrassment to our village."

Naruto jolted, shocked that he hadn't notice this new presence when the speaker had been hanging off a tree-branch. Had the new boy not spoken, he wouldn't have noticed his presence. Man, either his presence was that unimpressive or he was really good at concealing it. He looked up this time, noticing Sasuke's wide-eyed expression but she recovered quickly and jumped down; she was grumbling to herself, most likely wondering how she didn't notice him. Naruto was annoyed at himself too, and at the foreign ninjas, why are they so many of these freaks bothering his peaceful day like this?

Temari and Kankuro paled considerably, which made Naruto assume this new guy had quite a power over them. He shot them a curious look as they stammered excused to this suspicious Gaara character; what was there so much to be afraid of this eyebrow-less, gourd-carrying, red-headed... er, freak?

"Wait!" called Sakura with an outstretched arm when they tried to made their leave. "You're from Sunagakure, am I right?" Temari nodded, flashing the absurd-hair-colored kunoichi a curious look, wondering what she wanted. "Suna and Konoha may be allies but that doesn't mean you can come and go as you please — "

Temari rolled her eyes, already anticipating where this was going. She dug her hands into her pocket before producing a passport in their faces. "See this? We already got permission. We'll be staying here for the duration of Chunin Exams." She flashed them another curious look. "Are you all joining too?"

"Yes," Naruto responded tersely. Who knows, maybe they'll sabotage them or something if they let their guard down. He would've let them leave if the trees had not been complaining about something monstrous and unnerving. He frowned, assessing them and their chakra. It was the most likely that Gaara was like him... a Jinchuriki from how his Mokuton reacted. His sensor went nuts.

"You," the blue-eyed boy made eye-contact with teal-eyed boy, but unlike the Senju's eyes, the redhead's eyes were empty and dead, only the shimmering bloodlust evident in his eyes, the only emotion seemed to be craving for bloodshed. "Yes, you, what's your name?"

"My name," the boy spoke in an older, raspy voice as if he was thirsty or something. "is Gaara." He leveled his own version of a curious stare at the Uchiha and Senju. "What about you two?" His eyes darted between Sasuke and Naruto to make it clear who he was referring to.

Instinctively, Naruto shifted so that he obscured half of Sasuke protectively, missing Sasuke's scowl. "Senju Naruto," he said coolly, hands in his pocket belying the tenseness and how he was ready to spring into action at any moment.

"Uchiha Sasuke," the pale girl said with equal calmness though her eyes were hard.

"We are very much alike, you and I," remarked Gaara as he turned to leave. "Your hate." His eyes scrutinized Sasuke heavily before turning to Naruto. "And your tenant."

Naruto's fists clenched; the people behind his back were his friends, he didn't feel like losing them anytime soon just because some stranger — Jinchuriki kin or not — spilled the beans. He tried to remain a diplomatic smile even as he wanted to chase them away already.

"Don't you have anything else to do?" said Sasuke, but her tone was clear that she wanted them to leave.

"Yeah, yeah," muttered Kankuro, sending a wink Sakura and Sasuke's way which irked Naruto greatly. "See ya later." His eyes narrowed threateningly at Naruto but he didn't leave a scathing comment like he expected to.

"You can't let those pricks win," grumbled Konohamaru, adjusting his scarf around his neck so that the ends don't touch the ground. He was clearly shaken by the encounter but the courage he showed and how well he hid his fear made Naruto beam with pride. "Kick their asses, Oyabun!"

Naruto smiled. "You bet!"

**\**

"Sakura, glad you could make it," greeted Kakashi the moment Team Seven gathered before the designated place. Sakura blinked, surprised that her teacher would say such a thing. Her other two teammates eyed her curiously and seeing their curious stares, Kakashi eye-smiled and continued, "Well, just so you know, this test can only be completed in teams of three and no more or any less."

Sasuke's eyebrow twitched. "You dare...?"

Sakura smiled, placing a gentle hand on the other girl's shoulder to placate her. "I'm here now. And I definitely won't let any of you down!"

"That's my team!" said Kakashi cheerfully, clapping his hands together in the signature Shunshin jutsu. He looked at them with pride that made each one of them smile slightly. "Now go and make me proud!"

"Yeah!"

* * *

Naruto blinked curiously, tilting his head to the side to inspect the gathered Genins. "What're they getting so excited over?" he asked, pushing a few people away to get a better look. He was greeted to the sight of someone with a much-more terrible sense of fashion than him.

He knew a typical ninja wouldn't be wearing orange like he did but at least he was following the century; the only orange he was wearing was the orange t-shirt beneath his navy blue flak jacket — the Senju clan mark sewn on its back, signalling him as a proud member of the Senju — and there were orange strips down his black pants. Other than that, no orange but this kid dressed like a frog and would you look at those bushy brows?

Sasuke smirked. "Yeah. Like black caterpillars died on them."

Naruto choked back the loud and inappropriate laughter. He wiggled his brows which made the girl's smirk grow wider. "Wonder what's he doing there."

"Speaking of which," said Sasuke sharply when the crowd parted till Team Seven and Bushy Brows' team were left to crowd around the two arrogant ninjas. "Get out of the way, we have a test to take."

"Why, why, if it isn't the Uchiha princess," one of them sneered. "Too bad, kid, the answer's no."

"Yeah, we're stopping you guys here for your own good. You think punks like you can just stroll in and be Chunin?" The other guy jabbed a thumb at the scars on his face. "This is what we got when we took the test!"

It was Sasuke's turn to sneer cruelly. "Don't place us on the same rank as you. We're stronger than you. Now, fuck off."

Bandage-guy snarled, insulted. He lashed out his leg, "I'll show you that punks like you don't mess with people like us!"

Naruto scowled, unhappy as to how he'd treated Sasuke but the girl lashed back. Her leg would've connected with the guy's face had Bushy Brows not interfered. Naruto blinked, he didn't even see the kid move and here he was, stopping two powerful blows like it was nothing.

Sasuke retracted her leg, scowl firmly in place. She looked mildly impressed that someone was able to block her killer-kick but she managed to hide her surprise well; but there was a new light in her eyes, assessing again the threat level of Mister Bad Fashion Sense.

"There's no need to fight," Bushy Brows said, sounding rather mature despite his childish and joker appearance.

"He's right," agreed Sakura as she stepped forward. "This is nothing but a genjutsu, we're not at the third floor as is our meeting place. This is only the second floor."

"You go, girl," Naruto grinned, cheering his teammate on.

"Now if you'll excuse us," Sakura continued smugly. "We have a test to take on the upper floor."

Grumbles and embarrassed remarks followed but in the end, the crowd followed the flow and trudged up stairs. Just as Sasuke and Naruto made to leave, three people crowded their way.

Sasuke scowled, they were late as they were and these three were not making things easier. Her scowl grew heavier when she noticed the pale-colored-pupil boy before her. A Hyuga, her lips curled distastefully.

"What do you want?" she demanded rudely.

"Your name."

"Isn't it common courtesy to introduce yourself first, before you ask the name of another?" Sasuke scoffed rudely, brushing past him and gesturing for her teammates to follow. "Get lost, I don't have the time for you."

"Senju-san and Uchiha-san." While the Hyuga boy was trembling with concealed rage, Brushy Brows who seemed to be his teammate along with a bun-haired girl didn't seem intent on giving up in interacting with them. Impatiently, Sasuke was about to told him to go screw himself when he continued, unperturbed with the deathly glare sent his way. "If I may, could I ask for one of you to give me a spar?"

Said Senju and Uchiha exchanged a glance, silent communication passing through them. Sakura wondered when did the both of them get to know one another so well that they managed to communicate without words as if they'd been a team for years instead of weeks.

"Make it quick," Sasuke scoffed. "He shouldn't be too much of a challenge."

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Sasuke had to change her opinion on Bushy Brows who's actual name was Rock Lee. Her Sharingan was spinning wildly but strangely, she was unable to copy anything and she did not see him apply chakra into any jutsu — heck, he didn't even use jutsus, merely taijutsu. She wondered why didn't he use any ninjutsu or genjutsu he had in his arsenal?

"Naruto-kun..." Sakura was watching with her mouth wide-open; she couldn't believe that Naruto was being beaten around. Well, Naruto did manage to snatch Lee out of the air once and hurl him into the wall, creating a crater. But that was it and from there, the older boy seemed to be speeding up, growing faster while Naruto grew more tired.

Fed up, the blonde slammed his fist into the ground and roots sprouted out, catching and slapping Lee but unable to hurt him seriously. Naruto cursed; what was this guy? He thought he was a goofy kid but... "Gah!" Naruto was surprised when he was suddenly pulled off the ground and into air by bandages. He didn't have time to turn his body before —

"Now, for the finishing move — _Shadow of the Dancing Leaf_!"

"LEE! STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!"

— And Naruto found himself tumbling down the ground. Just as he prepared himself to eat dirt, someone caught him by the waist none-too-gently. Even dazed and baffled, he registered the slender arms as Sasuke's. She lowered them both to the ground, she released him when they touched ground but she didn't move away. Sakura joined them not a moment too soon, concerned.

"Are you okay?" she asked dumbly.

Naruto scowled, patience thin when his pride took a serious blow. But his hands flew into seals for medical techniques and he was soon healing away the bruises. "Oi, Uchiha, what sort of technique did he use?"

"Just plain taijutsu."

Naruto blinked, his anger disappearing for a moment as a voice that was not Sasuke's answered him. He, along with both girls, looked up to see a larger and older version of Lee. He blanched, they could multiply? Yikes, disgusting! His expression could've been an open book but the Older Version of Lee didn't seem offended, instead he flashed them a blinding grin, his teeth shining so brightly they should come with a sign like, _DO NOT LOOK TOO LONG, PERMANENT BLINDNESS MAY OCCUR_.

He was dazed enough — Lee hit his head quite hard — that he giggled at his own thoughts. Sasuke looked at him as if he was insane but she didn't comment on it.

"LEE!" the man shouted passionately, tears streaming down his face. "Did I not forbid you from using that technique unless you are in danger?!"

Lee had the grace to look ashamed. "I'm sorry, Guy-sensei."

"You have disappointed me greatly, Lee."

"I'm sorry, as punishment I shall run whole perimeter of Konoha a hundred times on my hands!"

"LEE!"

"GUY-SENSEI!"

"LEE!"

"GUY-SENSEI!"

Naruto was ready to barf at any moment. "Get me away from here!" he screeched. I lost to this freak? he thought to himself. Unbelievable.

"Kai!" Sakura placed her hand in the signature dispel sign for genjutsu but the terrible sunset scene remained. It was just wrong to see a male teacher embrace his male student. Please, gah, urk, blargh.

"Let's just go," the Uchiha said, subdued.

"Won't Lee be late for the Chunin Exams then?"

"Let him be," Sasuke snapped, looking thoroughly scarred herself as she hauled Naruto to his feet, not complaining when he leaned heavily on her. "If we associate ourselves with those two... things any longer, I fear the disease will be contagious and we'll be infected."

Sakura grimaced at the thought, shivering. "And he proclaimed his love for Sasuke-chan before the battle! EW!"

Sasuke grimaced as well, balancing Naruto so that neither would stumble as they walk; for some reason, the dobe was leaning far too heavily on her. "I would rather marry Senju than him."

"Is that a compliment or what?" Said Senju asked, pouting but he didn't feel really insulted. regardless of what she said, he'd take it as a compliment anyway.

The Uchiha heiress snorted softly. "What do you think?"

Naruto smiled, leaning closer subtly to enjoy her warmth and closeness. Heh, he could get use to losing and having to lean on someone heavily. Well, as long that someone is an Uchiha girl with the name Sasuke!

* * *

Naruto was forced to heavily part ways from Sasuke's comforting shoulder when she was pushed away and he was tackled by an unfamiliar person. A lighter shade of blonde hair fell into his vision; he blinked, wasn't this the Yamanaka heiress? What was she doing here?

"Hey," he protested, trying to squirm out of her arms. "Let go."

The Yamanaka pulled back, pouting. "You don't enjoy our closeness?"

Naruto made a disgusted face but he stowed it away quickly when he recalled he had an audience. "No."

"But you were so close to that Uchiha!"

"You just said it yourself," replied Naruto calmly though he was already simmering with irritation. "She's _that Uchiha_ which is why I allow her so close to me."

Ino — yeah, he remembered her as one of the girls chasing him down with the other fangirls and some people called her that — looked stunned; most likely because this was the first time a boy turned her down. The look of hurt on her face was almost enough to make Naruto apologize. Almost; because the blonde girl had rudely pushed Sasuke away — and even though the raven said nothing, Naruto knew she was offended and he was displeased with how people treated his teammate too.

Ino spluttered. "You dare —" she kept her temper in check, but barely; she threw a furtive glance at the stunned Sakura and Sasuke; so what Sakura told her yesterday was true... Naruto _did _have a crush on Sasuke but either he had yet to acknowledge it or he didn't know was a mystery.

But what about Sasuke?

By the way the Uchiha was smirking smugly at her, Ino had a feeling she had already lost a battle even before it was fought. She instantly felt like punching something for that rejection — to add salt to the wound, it was in public, urgh, her reputation would be ruined if it wasn't already — and when someone bumped into her from behind, she practically snapped.

"Watch where you're going!"

"Ino!" Chouji admonished his teammate. "Don't be so rude!" Then hastily, he turned to the tall silver-haired boy who'd run into his friend. "Sorry for her attitude, she's just no in the mood right now."

Shikamaru grumbled. "How troublesome. She's a handful so it's to be expected." He eyed the newcomer warily; others surrounded them, watching them curiously.

Heck, the Nara heir already felt all eyes on the Konoha Genins — all nine of them — like they wanted to swallow them whole with just their eyes. How troublesome, if his mother hadn't talked his ear off into joining, he wouldn't even be here. Man, what a drag, pain — and any other complains along the lines of troublesome.

Shikamaru felt the burdens compiling when that dobe Senju challenges practically everyone in the room and drawing even more attention to himself. He wondered how the people around the blonde loudmouth managed to even survive for this twelve years; the kid's mother must be a wonderful parent.

As if being a target wasn't enough, Shikamaru had to learn of a few bloodthristy genins in the test too, like that Sand Siblings. He shuddered when he saw that redhead from Suna's teal eyes landed on him, the lazy genius had a feeling that he'd be meeting his dead end if during the exam, he ran into him.

_Calm down, Shika_, he told himself. _Concentrate on this test for now, deal with troubles later_.

**\  
**

Even though Naruto promised Konohamaru and gang to win, he was already facing trouble in their first test. "Fuck," said Naruto, going through a few more curses as he fidgeted in line, running a hand through his spiky and messy strands, he kept squirming that he nearly elbowed Sasuke who stood behind him. She threw him a glare but he hurriedly apologize.

"Why're you acting so nervous?" asked Sasuke in a low voice, eyes darting around the room like she was scanning for a threat. "Do you sense an enemy attack or something?"

"No," responded Naruto, irritation lacing his voice, unaware of a certain Hyuga heiress eavesdropping on his conversation and the pink blush covering her face as he accidentally bumped into her. "It's just... written tests and I never got along well ever."

"It'll be fine," snapped Sasuke as she pushed Naruto forward when it was his turn to claim his number. He glanced at his number, hoping that it'll bring him luck but he got forty-four.

He swallowed thickly. "Yeah, everything will be okay." _I'm so dead_.

It wasn't long before Naruto could feel the twin death glares burning into his back after the rules were explained by Ibiki Morino who was their test proctor. It was team-based exam; meaning, if one of them flunked — and he was very likely to — the whole team would flunk and Naruto knew neither of his teammates would be happy about it. He could practically hear Sasuke's death threats.

Imagining their faces made him sink further into his seat. It was all over. He felt like bawling but he didn't think that was heroic at all. He tapped the end of his pencil to the table repeatedly, creating noises which annoyed the rest of the kids — well... some of them were twice or thrice (yes, they sucked that badly) his age — but he didn't care; if he couldn't answer, they didn't deserve to be able to answer either.

Naruto glanced around, seeing everyone writing down their answers already; was it that easy to everyone?

He groaned, shifting again to keep his anxiety in check but his knee bumped into the wooden table, creating a dull bump. Huh, if it was anything other wood, it would've sucked badly for his knee. Come to think of it, the pencil was made of wood too and so was the paper, from a tree — _why am I thinking of wood all of a sudden_?

Naruto paused. He could cheat, he could feel the movements of the pencil and what was etched onto the paper — wood and tree. He grinned deviously; why didn't he think of that sooner? The answer was to cheat without getting caught. But who should be this target? Just as he turned his neck around to scan for some smart-looking geek, a kunai flew past his cheek, embedding itself in the paper of the test candidate behind him.

The Senju blanched, growing pale as he took the opportunity to turn around — as did almost everyone in front. While the cheating boy was being chewed out by Ibiki-teme, he made eye contact with Sasuke and Sakura. The Uchiha threw him a glare, her eyes crimson with tomoes in it whirling around; and he knew she'd found her own way to cheat, he flashed her a thumbs-up sign, grinning as he did so to show that everything was all right.

Sasuke scoffed, looking back down at her test paper while Sakura winked at him, returning the thumb gesture. When he felt a shadow looming over him, carrying a foreboding aura of dread with him, Naruto turned, paling further but he tried for an easy grin.

"Yes?"

Ibiki's eyes narrowed none-too-nicely. "Concentrate. No cheating now."

"Yes, sir!"

That didn't seem to placate the man much but he moved away, surveying the other Genins and generally terrifying them. The blonde turned back to his exam paper, reading the printed texts over again — he didn't even understand what the question asked — before he decided to really start cheating. However, no one even present themselves as smart. He should copy Sasuke's or Sakura's.

"N-Naruto-k-kun?" Said boy turned to face the stuttering speaker. His eyebrows rose to his hairline when he saw the shy Hyuga heiress sitting by his side. He didn't even notice her, and her chakra wasn't even that large, just... unnoticeable.

"Yeah?" he lowered his voice to a whisper when one of the other proctor of the exam looked up sharply in his direction. Not a moment too soon, a kunai whizzed past him and the Hyuga — Hina-something, Hinamori, Hinako? Hinagiku? Or was it Hinata? — to bury itself in another older boy's test paper. He swallowed heavily. "Whaddya want?"

Hyuga blushed redder. "I-I-I c-can l-let y-y-you c-o-o-py m-my a-a-answers i-i-if y-y-ou w-w-want."

It took Naruto a few moments for him to decipher her sentence through all that stuttering. "Uh..." He was tempted to accept but a suspicious part of him nagged as to why she was even helping him. They weren't friends, they'd just spoken when they met up at this room. He barely knew her and yet... "Why are you helping me? I mean, I don't even know your name." All he knew was that she was a Hyuga, is shy and rather sweet, and is the clan's scion.

Hyuga-chan looked hurt. "M-my n-n-name is H-Hinata. A-and I-I'm h-h-helping y-you- b-b-because w-we're f-from t-the s-s-same v-village. W-w-we c-c-can't l-l-let o-others w-win u-u-us, r-r-right?" Nevermind the fact that her father had practically ordered her to get closer to her crush and help him in any way possible.

Naruto brightened. "Thanks, but I can manage on my own. You're nice Hinata-chan; can work on your stutter though."

Hinata blushed an even brighter shade of red, looking down sheepishly, not noticing the irked looks thrown her way. She poked her forefingers together, she didn't particularly mind her father's new orders — she liked it even — but she did not understand why they have to get closer to one another. This was a team-based test and yet her father had ordered her to pass the test together with him.

She wondered did her father know of her crush and was trying to help her through her shy ways. Somehow, she doubted it. Her father wouldn't involve himself in something as petty as his daughter's love life; it would be nice if he cared though, instead of just paying Hanabi attention...

_Stop_, Hinata chided herself. _Don't go down the dark path_.

For now, she should just enjoy the calm and cheerful presence of the Senju beside her.

**\**

"Great job, you idiot," grumbled Sasuke, crossing her arms from where she stood rigid straight by his right side. "you just made us the target of oh-like-everyone?"

Naruto pouted. "Hey, I helped you guys regain confidence, didn't I?"

"And the confidence of the other teams too," added Sakura sullenly. Inner Sakura was viciously cheering Sasuke on when she was throttling her teammate but outwardly, Sakura tried to placate both of her friends to avoid bloodshed — and also maintain her image as a good girl.

She stopped, as did the Uchiha, when she noticed a very familiar but very much unwanted person approaching them. Sakura scowled when she saw Ino, still unable to get rid of the blonde's hurtful words and their last encounter but said blonde didn't even seem to care. The purple-clad kunoichi grinned, throwing herself at the Senju, pushing the Uchiha away meanwhile.

"Naruto-kun!" she squealed, nearly piercing his eardrums. "I'm so glad you passed. And you're so brave in that display!"

Sasuke scowled heavily, she felt like ripping the bloody Yamanaka off her teammate but another part of her demanded why she even care about who the blonde interacted with. She huffed, glowering at their new proctor as she explained the rules.

The proctor, Mitarashi Anko — a certified nuisance and crazy lady in Sasuke's opinion — was saying something along the lines of this Training Ground 44. "... also know as the Forest of Death." Anko grinned when she saw the hesitant and fear gathering in the genins. "once you enter," she continued, enjoying the fear radiating off them. "you won't be able to quit, sweetie. Oh, and you better sign these, so that when you die in there, you'll save me from extra paperwork!"

That delivered in a cheerful tone was completely wrong.

Naruto scoffed arrogantly. "Do your worst, lady."

"You're so brave, Naruto-kun!"

"Don't gush over my teammate like that, Ino-pig."

That insult did not bode well with the blonde girl who retorted with, "Shut up, _Forehead_."

"Ladies," grumbled Nara Shikamaru as he slouched even further in his stance which could barely be called standing the way he did it. "so troublesome."

"Especially Ino," agreed Akimichi Chouji, his hands in his bag of chips, rummaging for more chips but when he came up with none, he merely dump the plastic bag and dug out another packet of chips from his coat.

Sasuke felt an annoyed twitch form on her brow; these were Konohas' candidates? They'd end up as laughing stocks. She snorted softly but her breath caught when she barely snatched the kunai out of the air. She scowled at Anko who's eyebrow rose when she failed to intimidate her target as expected.

Sasuke blinked and the next thing she knew, the crazy lady was behind her, tongue and breath hot on her ear. Naruto turned, saw the scene, and gaped. Instantly, protectiveness surged in him when he saw his teammate cornered like that.

"Hey!" growled Naruto dangerously, feeling his chakra boiled at Sasuke's wide-eyed look, feeling the urge to protect her even though she was more than capable to kick-ass. "Get away from her! You — you pervert! Hentai!"

Everyone stared, stunned but instead of being insulted or mad like the genins had expected, Anko laughed. A wide, almost maniacal grin split her face. "Jealous that I'm bothering your girlfriend, kid? No worries, I just wanna scare the prodigious Uchiha." she pulled back but both Uchiha and Senju remained tense. "On the side note, I'm not interested in girls. But boys like you though..." she leered, leaning forward suggestively towards Naruto who was barely able to keep the disgust off his face.

What's wrong with this lady?

"Isn't it your job to proctor the exam?" interrupted Aburame Shino, adjusting his glasses as he assessed the woman before him coolly. "I believe you are not here to seduce the test candidates."

Anko smirked.

"The kid's right," she said, straightening her back but before she can continue on, her kunai that had dropped to the ground the moment she'd Shuunshin behind Sasuke, came into view held by a long tongue. She balked, alarm bells ringing in her head as she whirled around to face one of the Kusa-nin. "Why, thank you," she said rather sarcastically. "But you wouldn't want to sneak up on me or you'll end up six-feet-under."

It was to the Kusa-nin's credit that she did not flinch. Merely, she grinned as she retracted her long tongue. "I just want to help, that's all, Anko-sensei." The proctor of the exam did not miss the mocking tone ion her voice.

"Hmph. Carrying on..."

**\**

"What you did back there," ventured Sasuke as they flitted through the trees. Naruto glanced back curiously at her but even without looking, he did not run into a tree. She scowled heavily when she saw his innocent face. "I'm not thanking you for anything."

Naruto grinned, having expected that a long time ago. "Hey, no problem. If anyone ever bother you just come to me!"

Sasuke scowled. "Why should I go to you, dobe?"

"Damn it, teme, I'm trying to be nice and this is how you treat me?!"

"Stop it!" yelled Sakura, exasperated by both clan scions ability to change their mood so quickly. Surprisingly, both listened to her this time.

Sasuke stopped running altogether and landed on a clearing in the forest, gesturing for her teammates to follow. Suspicious but faced with no choice, they followed and crouched around her.

"What's wrong?" whispered Naruto, lowering his voice.

"We could easily be deceived, so let's create a password."

Naruto grumbled, the so-called password wasn't something he could memorize, heck it was a whole damned song. Just as he was about to open his mouth and complained a huge gust of wind blew him off his feet. "Uwaah!" he yelled, hearing similar cries from his teammates but he was powerless to reach them when the wing stung his eyes and carried him away from them.

The Senju's head connected soundly with a boulder and if his head wasn't as hard as it was, his skull would've split open already. "Owwie," he moaned, hand glowing with the signature healing chakra as he went to healing the growing bump and bruises and small cuts. "Who attacked us?"

When his own statement registered in his head, he sprang to his feet, cursing. "Shit." He had to get back to his teammates right now, what if they needed him? He placed his hand on a tree, feeling its senses flow through him, the roots were entwined with the rest of the trees in this playground forest and he could just sense Sasuke's and Sakura's chakra fluctuating in fear...?

They were facing an opponent they couldn't defeat, Naruto realized but when he concentrated, he realized the chakra flow of the assailant were far too large to be a mere Genin. Someone who's powers were on par with the Hokage had infiltrated the exam and would most likely cause a war.

"Double-shit," he muttered as he turned around, ready to sprint to his friends' help when something very, very huge burst forth from the trees. "Crap-" he muttered when he saw the large, writing and hissing serpent — a summon most likely but the only person he knew capable of summoning snakes were — "Fuck. We're dead."

That was when the serpent lunged. Naruto yelped, barely dodging.

It seemed like he would be delayed for a while. He sighed, cracking his knuckles and lunging with his enhanced strength.

**\**

**So what do you guys think of this chapter?**

**Please review and comment : D**


	6. Chunin Exam Part II

**Replies to Guest review:**

**Guest#1: **_I just read your review actually and your suggestion of Gaara crushing on Sasuke? It might not work so soon, especially during the Chunin Exams but perhaps after Naruto defeated him and he managed to regain some semblance of sanity, maybe, just maybe I might include it. Gaara never struck me as the type to crush on someone, more like lust._

**Guest#2:** _Felo de Se means "felony of himself" - meant to describe Naruto as he chases after Sasuke regardless of the consequences, doing some things that people would normally disapprove._

**To the other reviewers:** _Thanks for reviewing, hope you continue to do so! :P_

**Author's Note:** Some said following canon is a bore, and there's only little changes. Well, it'd completely divert by Shippuden; for now, there'd only be little changes, depends where my muse takes me. On a side note, there're many people viewing this though there aren't many reviews, I'm a little disappointed considering how large this fandom is... T.T

Also, people have been complaining about FemSasu's name - saying that Sasuke is too manly. I used "Sasuke" to remind you guys that its just a female version of canon Sasuke, not an OC. Feel free to replace "Sasuke's" name with "Sasuki" or "Sasuko" when you're reading - I'll try to use her name a little less, replacing it with "her" or "the Uchiha" so stop complaining.

There's also people asking me why I made Naruto call Sasuke "teme" - it'll be explained later so bear with me.

'**xXx**' represents the change of p.o.v during events that takes place at the same time.

* * *

**Felo de Se**

**Chapter Six: Chunin Exams Part II**

Just as Naruto was about to say Sayonara to the summoning of a snake, his senses tingled—the trees shuffled nervously, creaked a warning, like, _move out of the way_—and not a moment too soon, he thought grimly as he jumped out of the way.

Cursing, the Senju eyed the three newcomers with distaste: all of them were from Sound, judging from their headbands. He recognized them as those that had been the only one to answer his challenge verbally back before the first test, and they had the ability to wound someone even though there was no skin-to-skin contact. In short, they were dangerous and a hindrance.

"Look," hissed Naruto, irritated. "I don't have the scroll and I'm a little busy here. Fuck off."

The sole female (rather pretty, though maybe it was because she looked a little like Sasuke, though this chick's skin was darker and she was older-looking and had long hair) stepped forward, a smirk etched onto her face. "My, it seems like the Senju heir has quite the potty mouth. I like that."

Great, just what he needed, a new admirer. "Well, if you like me that much, you can let me deal with my little problem and I'll take you out for a date after this exam."

"Don't be crazy, Kin," the spiky-haired Sound ninja grumbled; Naruto assumed he was jealous.

Kin laughed. "Yeah, right. Like I'll fall for suck a lame trick." Her piercing laughter which Naruto though must've sounded like a harpy's, died down but her smirk remained intact. "And besides, I'd like to keep my head intact, thank you very much; I know how jealous an Uchiha can be."

_Too bad she ain't here now where she could rip that smile off your face_, Naruto thought, somewhat amused. Even though he should've kept his mouth shut, he said, rudely and loudly, "You're right. I shouldn't have said that. After all, Sasuke would be ashamed to know that I took someone so ugly out instead of someone as pretty as her, hm?"

Kin grounded her teeth together. "You better be prepared for a world of pain for that, Senju."

Naruto smirked as he assessed the situation, knowing that the time for stalling was out and that he was out of options but to stand his ground and fight.

Run? He considered that option but that wasn't good, those guys would just follow him and he'd only bring Sasuke and Sakura danger. Not that they aren't already, faced with Orochimaru. Renewed dread and urgency surged through him, he brought his fists up, eyes narrowed and determined.

"I don't have the time to play gamed with you guys, but if you want, I'll give you the beating of your life."

And with that said, all hell broke loose.

**.**

**.**

**.**

Asked by anyone what was her most frightening experience, Haruno Sakura would answer very truthfully, that it was during the second phase of the Chunin Exams. Not because of what was within the Forest of Death, rather, what transpired in it. Heck, in comparison to the opponent she fought and what happened there, the threats the Forest of Death hurl at them was nothing.

Trembling, pink-haired girl blinked back tears that clouded her vision. She glanced around the battlefield, taking in the destruction that had happened. Well, the destruction was mostly caused by Sasuke's missed fire jutsus and her weak attempt at Earth jutsu. Her earthen barrier crumbled from just one blow and was barely able to defend them.

Then, her mint eyes landed on the two listless figure on the ground. One was her teammate and the other was an acquaintance. She stumbled on shaky legs towards the former first. Trembling still, her fingers found the Uchiha's neck, checking for a pulse and she breathed a sigh of relief when the other girl was still breathing.

"Thank Kami," she nearly sobbed in relief. Nevermind the fact that Sasuke's body was covered in bruises and littered with cuts, blue-blacks blossomed on her once immaculate skin and the girl's breathing was ragged; her fever was high and Sakura was ready to bet her right arm that it had something to do with the mark on her neck, the exact spot where that freak snake-nin had bitten her.

They hadn't even stood a chance against the missing-nin who called himself Orochimaru; she wasn't sure to believe his identity at first but when he displayed barely 5% of his powers, she was ready to believe him. Sakura glanced back at the other limp and broken body.

She didn't know why Lee had even came to their rescue; he couldn't hold a candle to Orochimaru either, just increased their chances of escape a little. Though the boy had been stubborn about escaping in the first place, but when their opponent clearly outranked him, he was ready to flee.

But he was already heavily injured, his ego taken a serious blow when Orochimaru mocked him as a useless ninja with his chakra pathways messed up so. Sakura was beaten around too, though she counted herself lucky for just escaping with broken ribs, split lip, and like a thousand number of bruises and cuts combined. Sasuke wasn't so lucky; Sakura didn't know why, but once Orochimaru had bittern the other girl, she'd crumpled to the ground, unconscious as angry and hatred-filled strands of... tentacles like thing seeped onto her skin.

Seeing two of the strongest Genin she'd known defeated so quickly, Sakura was frightened.

Where was Naruto when you need him anyway?

They couldn't go on like this. Sakura knew nothing about healing and had no medical supplies to heal both of her fellow Genins so she settled for making them as comfortable as possible.

Routinely, Sakura checked both Lee's and Sasuke's temperature, and drenched their forehead with cool water from the river again and again; it was the only thing she could do. Aside from setting traps and double-checking them again to be more effective. Aside from that, she knew of nothing else she could do and it frustrated her; why did she have to so fucking weak? Why did she always have to rely on others to protect her?

If—_when_, Inner Sakura corrected her with vehemence—they got out of this, Sakura swore she'd find a way to be stronger. But for now...

_Naruto-kun, please hurry and come back!_

**.**

**.**

**.**

Said Senju, however was far from any close to his teammates. Naruto had stamina that far surpassed the average ninja but fighting off three rather skilled nins and one overlarge snake (was swallowed in a gulp but managed to cause it indigestion which made it return to its summoning realm), even he was starting to tire out. He grumbled, and the Kyuubi was being useless as usual.

He studied his opponents again, time to take this up a notch. He could do this.

"**Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**!" About another dozen or so clones poofed into existence and scattered, a few of them to his side while the others teamed up, each against one of the Sound nin.

"**Suiton: Suiben**!" One of the clones taking on the bandaged guy, Dosu, his teammates called him, yelled, lashing out water made whips to catch the guy. Having been cornered by the a few more clones, Dosu was unable to flee; he cursed as the other clones forced lightning chakra into the water whips.

Unfortunately, Naruto did not have Lightning chakra nature so it wasn't as deadly as it would've been in the hands of a Lightning-natured nin. But it was enough to stun Dosu and allow the clones to surround him and give him chakra-empowered beating.

At the same time, the clones confronting Kin were close to finishing as well, having lost the upper-hand of quantity as Naruto's enhanced stamina made up for that, by being capable of fighting longer.

"**Doton: Retsudo Tenshō**!" Naruto yelled, slamming his palm onto the ground and watching with twisted fascination as the earth rose and spiral in on itself. Predictably, Kin dodged but just barely.

The kunoichi scowled, breathing heavily already as she had worse stamina than her teammates. She exchanged a glance with Zaku; this was not what they came here for.

Mustering up a smirk despite her fatigue, Kin said, "Hmph, most unimpressive. The only thing you've showed us is your enormous amount of chakra and endless stamina. Where's the Mokuton kekkei genkei exclusive only to you and your great-grandfather?"

The Senju in question frowned, why would they want to see some of his stronger techniques? Weren't they just here for the scroll? Wait, he flashed back to his earlier exchange with them, even when he'd told them that he didn't have the scroll, they didn't even react and had continued with their assault. They seemed to be in league with the snake too, as it'd allowed them to ride its head without protest. And the snake belonged to...

"You're working with Orochimaru!" snarled the Senju, fists clenching. "What do you want from me?!"

"Eh, you figured it out. With the Uchiha calling you dope, I wouldn't have thought you're smart enough to piece it together," Zaku taunted, laughing.

"To collect information apparently," answered Dosu who had managed to free himself from the clones and had proceeded to blast them away with a bomb tag; Naruto held his arm, stopping his clones from beating the shit out of their enemies as they were now willing to disclose information that may be vital to the village. "We're supposed to test you and the Uchiha, see whether or not you're worthy of Orochimaru-sama."

"Worthy of what?" demanded the blonde. "What about Sasuke?"

"You'll know soon, Senju brat," Dosu sneered—at least, Naruto assumed he was doing such under the bandages covering his about half his face like Kakashi's. The Sound-nin tipped his head to the side, as if listening to something. A chilling smile made his cheeks puffed out. "Oh, judging from the chakra signature, it seems like the Uchiha kid had been marked."

A chill shot down Naruto's spine. "Oi! What did Orochimaru did to her?!" But they were no longer interested, and how nonchalant they acted sent Naruto spiraling into concerned rage. "Oi! Answer me!" When they ignored her, he snarled like an animal and lunged, his fist releasing the largest amount of chakra he could hold by his knuckles before releasing them onto the Sound-nins—all of them whom were surprised by the Senju's burst of speed.

When the red of anger had seeped away from Naruto's vision, he realized he was standing in a large crater and the howls of pain the trees were making was giving him a severe migraine. This was why he never used his mother's monstrous strength in woods because he could always hear the trees whining after that.

He glanced around and spotted no corpse; they'd escaped. "Damn it," he cursed softly, kicking a stray pebble out of the way before he sighed again and jumped out of the large crater he'd created in his rage. He approached a solid looking tree, he placed his palm on a tree, cringing when the trees and branches shied away from him; obviously, they were frightened of his display of power.

"Look, I'm sorry I blasted away your siblings but I really am worried about my friends now, could you tell me where they are now?"

Reluctantly, the trees begin shifting, the branches twisted and the leaves stiffened, pointing him through a surprisingly branch-free path. Naruto grinned, "Thanks guys!" and darted down the path, as fast as he could muster.

It was times like these that he wished he knew his father's famed Hiraishin technique. The technique that made him the fastest shinobi alive; that way, he could've teleported to his friends in the blink of an eye, and they might stand a better chance of surviving. Thinking and pondering on what he could've done made Naruto feel even more like kicking himself.

Damn this. When Ero-sennin swung by town, he'd be pestering the man endlessly for the Hiraishin technique. By hook or by crook, he'd get that damn jutsu. He had a birthright to it man!

"Naruto-kun!"

That annoying high-pitched and squeaky voice, yup, he looked ahead and saw a familiar blonde girl waving at him. He heaved a sigh, landing on the tree branch next to her. "Look, Ino, I really don't have the time now—"

"It's terrible!" the Yamanaka yelled, grabbing his arm and pulling him along. "Uchiha-san, Sakura and a guy with bushy-brows—I mean, ew, his sense of fashion is terrible and he really needs a proper haircut—"

"Fashion advice later," Naruto snapped impatiently. "What about Sasuke and Sakura?"

"Well, Sakura's the one who's taking care of Uchiha-san. Uchiha-san's having a high fever and she's beaten badly by this guy Sakura called Orochimaru!" Ino babbled, not noticing Naruto's pale face. "Ah, here we are—Naruto-kun!" Ino yelped, surprised by her crush's surprising burst of speed when a clearing filled with their fellow Leaf-genin came into view.

The Yamanaka landed a moment later, breathing slightly shorter than usual. "Seriously, Naruto-kun, don't frighten me like that..." Her voice died the moment she saw Sakura rushed up to her blonde teammate and hugged him. Jealousy bubbled within her, if Naruto had been her teammate instead, he would also hug her to comfort her—it wasn't, couldn't be, because he hugged her due to only something she has.

But apparently, Ino didn't have to worry about Sakura being a competition to her love because Naruto pushed her away gently, with an apologetic expression on his face.

"Sorry, Sakura-chan, got to tend to Sasuke. I'm a medic-nin after all."

Sakura appeared hurt. "But I'm injured too," she protested but it fell on deaf ears as Naruto had already raced her and towards the cave where he must've seen Sasuke's fallen form. "but I supposed I'm nothing in comparison to Sasuke huh...?"

Scowling, Ino stomped towards her, hands on her hips and a stern expression on her face. "Don't say that. You make Naruto-kun sounds like he's an uncaring person or something. He does care about you, just that Sasuke's more important in this case since her injuries are worse than yours!"

Sakura managed a faint smile, years of friendship telling her that this was Ino's way of comforting her. "Thank you," she whispered. "For coming to save us from," her mint eyes darted to the dead Rain-nins form. "them." she finished and it didn't pain her much when she said those words.

What hurt more was that Naruto barely gave her a glance as he shot towards Sasuke.

"Hmph," Ino huffed, crossing her arms. "Don't forget that I'm your rival for Naruto-kun's heart, Forehead!"

_Don't give up because I'm still here for you_.

Sakura laughed, feeling tears of gratefulness and joy for having such a good friend (why did they even argue in the first place?). "If you think I'm giving him to you without a fight then you're dead wrong, Ino-pig."

_I'm not the kind who gives up easily, don't worry_.

**.**

**.**

**.**

Naruto concentrated, brows furrowed, as he healed his patients. Even though he wanted to specifically fuss over Sasuke and kept pouring healing chakra into her, his mother had pounded into his head that he was to heal anyone injured before him (except the enemies) and not be choosy, don't let personal feelings get in the way.

Healing Lee was the last thing he wanted to do but he had no choice; it was the medic code. Heal as long as they're your allies, regardless of personal feelings and agendas.

Firstly, Naruto didn't know why Lee even showed up to help _his_ teammates, and imagining Lee vowing to protect Sasuke or declaring his undying love for her, irked him greatly, which made him add unnecessary pressure when he bandaged the older boy. Secondly, the girls probably thought Lee to be more capable than him. And thirdly, he was still sore that he'd lost to the older boy earlier.

Finally, when he was done, Naruto slumped down onto the ground, trying to rest his body. When he laid down on the makeshift grass-made bed, he realized something: that Lee and Sasuke were sleeping next to one another and that they were far to close.

Seething, Naruto dived between them, pushing Lee further away; he made a mental note to throttle the person who placed the two so close to one another. When he was beside Sasuke — who's body temperature was cooler than before — and Lee was far, far away from both clan heirs, he allowed himself to calm and relax. Finally, rest!

It didn't take long for sleep to claim him; in his fuzzy mind, before darkness came, he registered Sasuke's smokey scent and the fact that maybe sleeping so close to one another would arose question amongst their peers.

He didn't care.

**.**

**.**

**.**

"They're cute together, aren't they?"

"Very."

"Ooh — especially how he's hugging her!"

"Er, I think that's just his sleeping habit of draping over something."

"Even in sleep, she can sense him and she's cuddling with him, isn't she?"

"I didn't know even Uchihas can be adorable in sleep."

"What are you talking about?! With the power of youth within her, Sasuke-chan is adorable no matter what!"

"...Whatever you say, Lee."

Naruto groaned, eyelids fluttering open but all he could make out through the crust of sleep was shadowy figures; the voices he'd heard earlier must've belonged to them and another part of his mind, the more shinobi him noted that they weren't attacking which meant that they were allies. Which meant that he was safe and that he could keep sleeping; also there was the fact that there was a very comforting warmth by his side, close to his heart and all he wanted was to snuggle closer to the source of warmth which seemed to be breathing —

"Holy shit!"

Naruto would've jumped twenty feet into the air if not for the added weight by his side. His face was burning hot like Sasuke had cast a fire jutsu on him. Right, he was probably exaggerating since being roasted by one of her fie jutsus would result in his demise. But only hyperbole could describe what he was currently feeling now.

What he was feeling now? Somewhere along the lines of embarrassment and contentment. He didn't feel like Sasuke's person from him but as his fellow genins were crowding around him, looking at him with expectant and disappointment varying emotions. He coughed awkwardly to diffuse the situation, gently removing Sasuke from him and standing up to face his friends.

Rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, sure that his face was still as red as tomato — _Her_ favorite food, his mind supplied unnecessarily — he said, "Uh, you need anything?"

"Nope," said the bun-haired girl, giggling. "you can go back to cuddling your girlfriend." When the Senju was sure his face was going to explode from embarrassment, the girl laughed even harder. "Don't worry. You look cute together!" That only served to make him blush harder but this time, he felt strangely... happier and bubbly than usual.

But he doubted that Sasuke would be as happy. That thought eventually led back to the question: was his feelings mutual? He wished, hoped it was but Sasuke was very subtle about it whenever he flirted with her. She didn't react much but the occasional twitch of her face; whether to suppress a frown or a smile was a mystery to him. Truth to be told, it was disheartening, not knowing that the other was thinking. Man, he had to invent a mind-reading jutsu technique someday.

Naruto settled for grumbling when he noticed that everyone was staring at him; and the numbers of people had increased. "What happened?" he asked curiously when he spotted new wounds — but oddly, had already been healed and bandaged — and new faces. Then he looked past the genins' faces and saw a different landscape than before.

"Uh... a fight broke out?"

"Yes," said Choji as he munched on another packet of chips. "Against Cloud nins. Sakura wanted to fight them for the Heaven and Earth scroll they got."

"Why do we need both?" asked Naruto, directing his question to Sakura who ducked her head.

"Well, when we faced off against Orochimaru, we lost our Earth Scroll as well." Before Naruto could explode, she hastily went on, "But the Cloud nin got both scrolls and a few extras, so we're good!"

"Oh," was all Naruto could say. "And all of this happened when I was asleep?" Great, another moment in time where it could be chalked up to _Times When Senju Naruto Is Useless_. He sighed heavily, mentally berating himself. "Great. I was useless."

"If it is any comfort, My Eternal Rival In Winning Sasuke-Chan's Heart"—Naruto's teeth gnashed together rather hard and the idea of throttling Lee didn't seem too bad—"I slept through it too. I only woke up recently." Then his gaze landed on Sasuke's still unconscious form. "As punishment for failing to protect Sasuke-chan and friends, I shall climb a mountain with my teeth!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Lee," snapped the sole Hyuuga, Neji, throwing his teammate an admonishing glare. "Uchiha lost because she was weak—"

"She's not weak!" Naruto snapped, fists clenching. "Her opponent outclassed her; if you went against Orochimaru, you would've gone down too!" A cold smirk adorned Naruto's face but before he could think — he rarely ever used his head unless he was about to die anyway — about the consequences and how hurtful his words would've been, went on, "Oh, but then, why would he be after you? Orochimaru only wants me and Sasuke — only wants the Sharingan and Mokuton — but the Byakugan? Getting it off a Branch Member would be useless."

Neji sprang to his feet. "Are you looking for a fight, Senju?"

"What are you going to do about it?"

Lee glanced between his two "rivals" before flashing the thumbs-up sign, grinning. "It's good to see the both of My Eternal Rival glowing with the Power of Youth!"

"Shut up, Lee!" Both Hyuuga and Senju barked in unison.

Tenten smacked her teammate upside the head. "Come on," she said. "Let's go. We've lingered here long enough already." Then she shot a hesitant smile to Naruto who was still fuming even as Neji turned to go. "Thank you for healing our teammate. See you at the tower!"

"Hope not," grumbled Naruto childishly.

"Well," drawled Shikamaru as the chakra belonging to Team Guy faded into the distance. "I think we should go too. Our alliance ends here. Bye—"

"Get out of the way!"

"Huh?" the Nara heir fell flat on his ass, blinking, trying to comprehend the situation. "Wha...? Senju?"

"Naruto-kun!"

Shikamaru blinked again, scrambling backwards as Naruto crumpled to the ground, retching, clutching his gut. He couldn't comprehend what he was seeing. Then, instincts kicked in and he rolled away just as senbon needles — coated with poison, judging from the purple tint — embedded the ground where he last stood. He blanched, turning a shade white before he scrambled for his composure.

"Team, formation!" he yelled, voice forcefully higher than usual so that Ino and Choji whom were panicking will be able to hear him. The lazy genius assessed the new enemy warily, rather surprised but hiding it well, when he saw the silver-haired genin. "You're a Konoha-nin, why are you attacking us?"

"Sorry, Shikamaru-kun," Kabuto Yakushi said, smiling that cunning smile that practically exuded the aura of one you shouldn't trust. Shikamaru was right to be wary but when he was their enemy, there was nothing he could do. "I don't mean to hurt any of you. I was just doing my job," he said, glancing down at the defeated Senju. "I knew Naruto-kun would be reckless enough to save one of you so instead of targeting him, I attacked you. I didn't mean too harm you."

During his speech, in that annoyingly suspicious gentle and placating tone, three nins that Shikamaru recognized as Sound-nins, jumped down from the canopy of trees. It was also enough time for his allies to gather enough wit to speak again.

"Why are you targeting my Naruto-kun?" demanded Ino, irked and was slightly frightened but she assure herself that they have the upper-hand of quantity. "What did he ever did to you?"

"Not what he _did_, but what he _would_ do," Kabuto corrected, adjusting his glasses and smiling coldly. "He is too much of a threat with his growing potential and does not have enough motive to join our cause, so he needs to be taken out. At least, for now."

"You're working for Orochimaru, aren't you?" Shikamaru's eyes darted to Kabuto's allies as he spoke, those Sound-nins (Kin, Dosu and Zaku) fitted the description Naruto gave.

"Traitor," Choji hissed, crushing the empty packet of chips in his hands. "We thought you were our friend!"

"Apparently, not, fatty. You misjudged," Zaku cackled, swinging down from a tree-branch.

"What did you say?" Choji sounded calm as he asked the question but Ino and Shikamaru knew he was boiling beneath that calm facade.

"Better run," Ino said as she darted out of her teammate's way. "Go get them, they called you 'fat'!"

Shikamaru sighed, placing a hand on his head to stave away the headache. Charging in without a plan unsettled Shikamaru but then again, ninjas were supposed to be unpredictable. Planning means they were being predictable and stand less of a chance. But charging in recklessly... ugh, don't think about that now, he told himself. His dark eyes turned their full attention on the Senju the moment the blonde pushed himself to his hands and knees, still gasping for breath.

"What... did you do?" he rasped harshly; Shikamaru jerked back in shock when he saw red eyes with slits instead of the familiar cheerful blue of the Mokuton-user's eyes. "How... I should've... sensed you... Gah!" Naruto went flying when the female Sound-nin kicked him in the ribs, cruelly intensifying the pain.

"You mean what the trees relayed to you?" she smiled. "Oh, that's easy. We just messed up the sound-waves around us, so that the sounds of branches creaking and leaves rustling would be just that: an action done by the breeze, no secret message."

Naruto groaned something incomprehensible. Kin advanced, too focus on beating the shit out of the Senju to concentrate on her surroundings, "I'm going to make you pay for that comment!" she snarled as she raised a poison-coated senbon, not noticing the shadow snaking out towards her own and attaching itself.

"What?" Kin stiffened unnaturally, putting her weapons down against her own will. "What's happening to me?!" she yelled in alarm but a moment later, slumped, the same time Ino did.

Zaku glanced at his female teammate. "Oi, Kin! What're you doing? Stop standing there and day-dreaming — " He was cut off when his teammate threw a senbon in his direction. He blinked, before he growled. "What the fuck!"

Instead of retorting, Kin grinned maniacally, putting her own poison-coated senbon to her throat. "If you want your teammate to be safe, you better get lost now."

Dosu leaped off another branch to another, merely toying with the Akimichi brat who was attacking blindly instead of aiming properly. How powerful a technique was useless when it didn't reach its intended target. He glanced at Zaku and Kin, having heard the threat; he nodded towards Zaku. They didn't need anyone, not even their teammate, dragging them down.

Zaku grinned as he changed direction and lunged at Kin, sending a shockwave towards the girl's body, cackling when she hit a tree, coughing blood. The possessed-girl sprang to her feet, breathing raggedly and trying to control her pain. "Are you crazy?" she snarled with Kin's face and voice, sounding almost like the original for a moment. "She's your teammate and you're willing to sacrifice her?!"

Zaku wanted to laugh at how pathetic these tree-hugging nins were; and he did. "Oh please, our village isn't like yours y'know? We sacrifice anything and anyone to get our mission complete. We're loyal; unlike you who ditched the mission to save some people you call friends. What does friendship mean in the world of shinobis?"

"Protecting and saving your friends means you care; it showed that we're still humans before shinobis!" Everyone's attention riveted to Naruto who'd spoken, even Kabuto, who was closing in on the Uchiha heiress — crap, Shikamaru didn't even notice the silver-haired guy move!

Zaku's lips curled. "No one asked you, Senju, so shut up!" he snarled as he stomp his foot, a larger shockwave following the gesture and though Shikamaru couldn't see it, he could feel the invisible attack hitting Naruto dead on.

Why didn't the Senju dodged was the question. And also, what was the seal Kabuto had slammed into Naruto's stomach? What did the seal contain to immobilize, cripple him so badly?

Naruto groaned in pain, but gritting his teeth, he slammed his fist into the ground, intending to create a crater as large as before, no doubt but instead of great damage to the landscape, Naruto's fingers twisted at unnatural angles, his chakra backfiring instead of assaulting the enemies. He cried out, then accusingly, he glowered at Kabuto, snarling, "You — that seal messed up by chakra pathways!"

Kabuto smiled. "Impressive, it seems that you hold a certain amount of knowledge concerning seals. I would love to stay and discuss this particular topic with you but Orochimaru-sama has demanded this girl's presence so I must — "

"Kidnap her, you mean," Naruto spat, anger coursing through his veins as he stumbled to his feet. "well, I won't let you..."

"And, pray tell, what can you do?"

The blonde smirked. "Distract you."

Instincts sharpened through many hard battles allowed Kabuto to easily dodge the newly-awakened Uchiha heiress. He jumped a few feet back, smiling, "Well, it seems like you're awake, Sasuke-chan."

The pale girl did not answer. Instead, she calmly assessed the situation, coal black eyes turning into the familiar red of the Sharingan. Her lips were pressed into a thin angry line, obviously displeased; finally, her eyes landed on Naruto's beaten form. In a chilling and deadly voice that didn't fail to silence the battle: "Who hurt him?"

Zaku, proving himself to be the most idiotic of the gathered ninjas, sneered right back. "I did it, chickie — I was the one who hurt your boyfriend. What're you going to do about it, huh?" he challenged, scoffing.

"This."

The Sound-nin stiffened, when he realized that the voice had came from behind him. "Wha—" He never got the chance to whirl around to see his assailant when slender hands grabbed his forearms, forbidding him from moving even when he struggled with all his might. Before he could register what had happened, pain registered.

Rending, bone-breaking pain — literally in the latter's case.

He screamed, as his already broken arms were strained to the max in the pale Uchiha's grip. "I'll snap your neck, next," she hissed. "It's called payback." Through the haze of pain — it fucking hurts, he wasn't trained for pain tolerance! — he registered that she was being deadly serious. Emphasis on the deadly; and she was seriously going to snap his neck. Heck, if he'd known that hurting the Senju would be this, he wouldn't have said anything!

_You always act before you think_, he could imagine Kin's voice, telling him, berating him again. _You're going to get yourself killed someday_.

_Shut up_, he wanted to tell the mirage but relief washed over him; sensation taking over as he crumpled to the ground. Only later when his team had retrieved him and retreated did he realized that the boy he'd hurt, that blasted Senju had tackled the thrice-damned Uchiha into a hug.

Sasuke, was at first, startled when she felt arms wrapped around her. She stiffened, mistaking it as an enemy attack and was about to raise her arm and beat the shit out of the assailant when she registered the blonde hair and familiar scent of home and wood.

At first, she had a hard time pronouncing his name; the sheer power surging through her was unimaginable. But when he pulled back and smiled at her — a bruise forming on his right cheek and bleeding from the forehead and a cut on his chin and a split lip, but he still looked as radiant as ever — she managed to calm herself down. That calmness lasted until she saw that Sound-nin whom had claimed to hurt Naruto rose to his feet, nearly crumpling down, would have if not for his teammates' support.

Dosu, was forced to carry both his teammates on his shoulder as they were already soundly — puns aside — beaten and decided to make a run for it. That bloody Kabuto had fled the moment everyone's attention was on Zaku when he was getting his arms rearranged by the Uchiha.

Cursing, he ran.

**xXx**

Sakura was tempted to run after the guy and had half a mind to drag him back and make him explain everything: Orochimaru, the exams and whatever they plotted on doing to her teammates. But her voice died, along with the freezing of her brain, when she saw Naruto hugging Sasuke like that, and he didn't seem like he wanted to let go anytime soon.

The ugly green thing with horns known as jealousy reared its ugly head but she tried to cover it up with the surging relief that her teammates were safe. It didn't help as much as she'd like. Then, surprise of surprises, Sasuke actually hugged him back! Well, not like she wrapped her arms around him or anything, she just clutched his arms like she wanted to judo-flip him for his idiocy.

It would've been a much better sight than their intimacy.

But the pale girl didn't use violence and both clan heirs remained like that for a moment. Sakura squinted, noting that Naruto was saying something and he seemed extremely relieved; fortunately, Sakura could lip-read as per training from the Academy included—well, there was this chunin who was a substitute teacher for Iruka-sensei and he taught the kids that, Sakura was the only one interested and jotting down notes and seeking him out for more lessons again.

Naruto seemed to be saying, "—I'm okay, you didn't have to do that. After all"—he raised his head from where he buried it in the crook of the other clan heiress's neck—"I'm supposed to outlive you, how else am I going to protect you?"

"I don't need anyone protecting me!" Sasuke snapped back, eyes flashing red but she stumbled in Naruto's hold; Sakura suspected it had something to do with the curse seal on her neck. Despite her difficulties, she pulled away from Naruto's embrace and struggled to stand on her own. "I'm not some fragile princess that need a knight in shining armor!"

"I'm not implying that you're weak!" Naruto shot back, eyes flashing with anger as well but he did not have the Sharingan to add tot he effect. Closing his eyes and exercising breathing in and out to calm down, he finally opened his blue hues, seemingly calmer than before and he seemed resigned as he heaved a sigh. "Just don't use your chakra. It'll make the curse seal work."

In return, Sasuke nodded tersely, glancing away and at anything but Naruto. There seemed to be an extremely awkward atmosphere surrounding them until Shikamaru spoke, stepping closer as he did so.

"I propose we stay together until we reach the tower." Glances were exchanged between the genins, weighing the pros and cons. Ino glanced curiously at her lazy teammate, he usually wouldn't do deals since they were too "troublesome" for him; she wondered did it had anything to do with guilt, guilt for causing Naruto to be injured. But whatever the case, this was an opportunity for her to win Naruto-kun's heart!

She didn't catch what the clan heirs were saying to one another but they seemed to be in a disagreement and she didn't mind it one bit. It just means that she could get closer to the Senju. As Naruto also put some distance between Sasuke and he, she took the opportunity to latch onto his arm. This time, he did not protest, he seemed to be too lost in his pondering to notice her. It mildly annoyed Ino, no boy ever ignored her and yet this one was blatantly ignoring her. Just like Neji! Hmph! Thinking about that pale-eyed bastard infuriated Ino so she tried to calm herself by filling her thoughts with her crush.

From behind her, Sakura was drilling holes into Ino's head, watching as they walked, heading towards north.

**.**

**.**

**.**

The time limit for the exam was five days, surprisingly, Team Seven and Team Ten managed to make it within two days. Which meant that they had three days to kill time. Sakura was surprised but she didn't complain, it meant that they could relax and the pink-haired girl felt so tired she could just collapse on the spot.

Unfortunately for her, they still needed to submit the scrolls for Heaven and Earth. Grumbling, her hand snaked back into her pouch and drawing them out, brandishing them like weapons.

Sasuke turned her Sharingan on, scrutinizing it. "It's fake," she said flatly and Sakura nearly dropped the scrolls, disbelief etched onto her face.

"What!"

"It was just a joke," the Uchiha waved them off with a dark chuckle, crossing her arms and strolling towards the designated doors with their team name on it.

"It's not funny, teme! Sakura-chan worked hard for it!" Even though Naruto was defending her now, Sakura felt like the vehemence in his words were very little compared to the time he was defending Sasuke from Neji's taunt. She told herself that she was just thinking too much and that Naruto's feelings were fair.

Trying to diffuse the situation from erupting into a full-out battle, Sakura said, "Um, say, Naruto, why are you always calling Sasuke-chan _'teme'_?"

"It just felt natural," answered Naruto, shrugging. "Sasuke-_teme_ has a better ring than, like, Sasuke-_ama_, right? Other nicknames like, er, _Aba-zure, aho, baita, busu_—"

"If you value your life, Senju, I suggest you shut up now."

Sakura choked, coughing to disguise her giggle and nodding furiously. From the furious glare the Uchiha in question toss her blonde companion, she did not share the same sentiments. Sakura had the terrible feeling that she'd brought on the wrong subject.

"Yeah, I mean, Sasuke-chan's name is too masculine so I guess '_teme_' is better than something like '_ama_'."

"Why did your parents named you Sasuke?" asked Naruto curiously, but Sasuke didn't seem like she wanted to talk to them anytime soon. She stomped off and threw open the doors for their team.

**.**

**.**

**.**

It was when the moon rose did Naruto see Sasuke again after handing in the scrolls and having to listen to a lecture about ninja philosophy. He was meditating, in hopes that he could access the Kyuubi or manage to sort out his chakra; it was a major disappointment on his part when, after many hours, he still failed, he didn't get out of the stance, having found solace and sereneness in meditating.

It was strange and he rarely ever did it unless he wanted to see Kyuubi. He found it soothing and if either his mother or foster sister see this, they'd be in for major shocks of their lives. His lips twitched into his trademark grin at the thought of his two precious people; seeing them react to all of his antics were hilarious, he was sure one of them would try the genjutsu dispel spell on him to see whether or not it was genjutsu trick.

Heh. Was it so surprising to see him sit down and not move around causing trouble?

"Yes, it is."

Naruto jerked, surprised before he whirled around to see Sasuke. He relaxed considerably. "Oh, it's you." After that brief exchange that afternoon, he didn't fee like talking anymore because of that heavy atmosphere of awkwardness. "What do you want?" he asked, trying to sound as less harsh as possible.

The Uchiha narrowed her eyes at him. "You asked me why my parents named me '_Sasuke_'."

He paused, wondering why she was disclosing this information. "You said friends can tell one another stuff." His eyes lit up at the prospect of being called Sasuke's friend because, all this while, she was always so subtle and hard to discern in her emotions, he wondered if they could even be called friends.

"Mmhm, so? The meaning behind your name?"

She narrowed her eyes at his light-hearted tone, evidently, she didn't like how he seemed to take things seriously. He quickly amended this by turning fully to look at her, pulling his knee up to his chest and looking at her earnestly.

"My parents"—she looked pained when she said this and Naruto was tempted to hug her again; his mother always did that, holding him until the pain went away but he doubted she would appreciate the gesture, would most likely mistake it as an act of sympathy which she did not want—"thought I was a boy back when I was in Mother's womb."

"Then when I was born, Mother nearly died of blood loss, the medics were incompetent—the real doctor was out of town so they took a total failure as substitute; don't worry, Father sued them—but that doesn't matter now. Mother was really worried about me, thinking something happened and kept calling my name. My... my _brother_"—she looked like she might die when she said this part—"told the nurse that 'Sasuke' was my name, and the nurse wrote it on the birth certificate. By then, I suppose people were too relieved, or simply didn't care, to rename me."

"Why the name '_Sasuke_' though?"

"When you die, ask them."

Naruto pouted at the answer but he felt relieved that whatever had happened earlier did not distance their relationship. He fell on his back, crossing his arms and lying under the moon. Sasuke watched him curiously for a moment before joining him. "What's so nice about astronomy?" she asked dryly. Obviously, she didn't see the point of star-gazing.

"It's the mood that counts."

He received no answer but when he stole a glance, he thought he saw her cheeks darken a shade. He didn't call her out on it, merely concentrating on the sky. Though the main reason for his silence was because he felt tongue-tied; for the first time in years, he lost his ability to speak due to the proximity of a person.

Unlike in battle where it would've been more useful, his senses chose to alert him to the Uchiha's close proximity, so close he could smell her and was it his heartbeat beating rapidly, double time, or was it her heartbeat and his combined? Sure, he'd been closer to Sasuke than this before, but that was when she was asleep and she was very much wide awake here and now.

_Stop thinking and just enjoy it_, he told himself.

Darkness fell when the dark clouds drifted forward as the breeze commanded and clouded the moon. Naruto huffed, as complete darkness engulfed them but he suspected Sasuke would have no problem seeing through. He pouted; man, sometimes, he wished he had super-night vision too.

He sprang to his feet and nearly tumbled off the roof. "Yikes!" he scrambled backwards on the seep surface. He seriously wasn't kidding when his eyes processed the darkness. He could barely see a few centimeters ahead. The senses he had left was from the trees and he could hear and smell things as well.

The smell of smoke and something utterly girl wafted up his nose. And it was very close and right in front of him. He cleared his throat awkwardly. "So... lead the way, Sasuke."

"I thought you have your sixth sense to guide you." Her reply was cool and if he hadn't known any better, he would've thought she was teasing him.

He growled. "Fine," he said as he stomped a few steps forward, hesitated before he took another step and nearly tumbled off. This time, Sasuke caught him; if he could see, he was sure she'd be smirking down at him with that I-am-better-than-you smirk. He was suspended between falling and pulled back up. When Sasuke seemed to enjoy dangling him over the edge, he yanked himself up harder, the same time, she hauled him up.

The momentum and power boost was too much as he fell right on top of her. The tiny bits of skin showing through their clothing was touching and it sent Naruto's senses tingling when he registered how smooth her skin was despite how hard she trained and had a few scars here and there.

What completely shocked and stopped Naruto's brain from operating was the fact that _he kissed her_. However accidental it was, it still felt nice and it totally counted as a kiss, his mind said, sounding like he was doing a mental victory dance. Well, he'd found himself in a situation worthy of Ero-sennin, the white-haired sage would've encouraged him to explore more and take advantage of the situation. Not like he didn't know how or he didn't want to; he'd seen enough of his godfather's graphic novels to know what he had to do next.

He nipped her lips, which made her gasp — or maybe she opened her mouth to berate him or tell him to back off — and he took the opportunity to taste her with his tongue. She tasted of strawberry milk — most likely because of the snack they had earlier. He teased her with his tongue, trying to provoke her for a reaction, and he moaned when her tongue bumped his own. Experimentally, he explored her mouth, hesitantly and just when he thought he would die of asphyxiation, someone screamed.

Instantly, he was pushed back, but fortunately not too much force was applied in the action. Obviously, Sasuke had learned her lesson of applying too much power in a simple gesture.

A thin string of saliva connected them but Naruto's tongue darted out and he cut it. The rest fell on Sasuke's body which she did not appreciate. She scowled up at him, hastily patting it to dry it while Naruto turn his attention back to the person who'd screamed. His face was burning, hotter than when he'd found himself sleeping next to the Uchiha.

He squinted and made out the faint pupil-less eyes; a Hyuuga and since the voice was high-pitched... "Hinata-chan?"

A small squeak came when he said that name. "U-u-u-m, I-I-I-I w-w-w-w-ill l-l-leave y-y-y-ou t-t-to w-w-what-e-e-ver..." Hinata stuttered, her speech impairment worse than ever and Naruto could just see her face glowing with embarrassment, his face was probably the same. She looked ready to pass out.

"No wrong ideas! We're just kissing—I mean—uwah! Hinata-chan!" Naruto blanched when the Hyuuga heiress fainted. What on earth was the girl doing up here anyway? "Come on, Sasuke, let's go back down!"

"Don't order me around!" the Uchiha's voice came from behind as she pushed past him; this time, he really saw her cheeks flaming. "And for the record, if you try that again, I'll rip your eyes out of their sockets!"

She sounded serious but the blush undermined it. "You like it," said Naruto, before a grin split onto his face. "Admit it!"

"Shut up!"

**xXx**

When her teammates came down from their star-gazing, with an unconscious Hinata in tow, faces a few shades pink and red, Sakura knew something had transpired. She narrowed her emerald eyes suspiciously at the two conscious ones but neither said a word and seemed to be avoiding one another's eyes though they settled themselves on the same bed — which was odd when neither even move away from one another or argue about the ownership.

"What happened?" demanded Ino, as suspicious as Sakura was.

Kiba and Shino whom were both fanning their fallen teammate glanced up. Naruto glowered at them; curse those sensor nins. Kiba took a long sniff then glance at his dog, then back at the clan heirs, his face tinting a shade of pink as well. "You two did that... and let Hinata — sweet, innocent, little, Hinata?! — see?!"

"We did nothing, like — like you're implying, okay!" Naruto protested loudly. "it was just a bit of contact only! What was she doing there anyway?!"

"What contact?!" Ino and Sakura demanded in unison to which were ignored.

"When you two didn't come back, she grew worried," calmly explained Shino. "Why, you may ask? She thought that perhaps you couldn't see so she decided to lead you back."

"Hinata-chan's a very nice girl," commented Choji as he munched on a cookie. "So, back to the topic, what were you two up to on the roof?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed in a very unpleasant manner. "None of your business," she said coldly then without glancing at the blonde, said, "I'm going to bed."

No one moved.

"I _said_: _go _to bed." This order was punctuated with a Sharingan glare, sending everyone scrambling.

"Jeez, so troublesome, women," Shikamaru grumbled as he climbed onto his bunk.

"Hmph," huffed Ino as sauntered to the bunks meant for the girls. "I need my beauty sleep anyway."

"Don't wake me up before nine tomorrow," threatened Sakura.

In the end, without protest, everyone settled themselves for a good night's rest. However, Naruto couldn't fall asleep; he shifted and he turned, he even counted sheep, reached two-hundred-ninety-six and he gave up. His mind kept replaying the time where he'd had his first kiss. However, accidental, both of them enjoyed it (even though Sasuke didn't admit it) so it counted as a first right?

He was tempted to ask the Uchiha but he knew it'd only earn him a sound beating.

He sighed, glancing around at his friends — they'd bonded rather well over snacks and unhealthy beverages. "Want a pillow fight?" he called.

"Naruto."

"Yes?"

"Shut up!"

He sighed; man, maybe they weren't as bonded as he'd thought. But, ah, well, they have three or so days more to bond. Relationships form over time. _Well_, his brain said, _not with her, you need to be very straightforward to make her realize your feelings._

_Shut up_, he told his brain.

**To be continued...**

* * *

**Author's Note:** I wonder if it's too rushed O.O **Review & tell me**, okay? I included it - wonder if it counts as fluff. I would like to hear the readers' thoughts.


	7. Chunin Exam Part III

**Answer to Certain Reviews: **

_**Guest: **I have to ask that you be patient because the flashbacks only ends with the Battle at the VOE. I estimate it to be around the sixteenth/fifteenth chapter._

_**Blue Soki:** Sorry, dunno what's RTN. It would help if you could elaborate._

_**animemaster5724:** Agreed. I think Sasu's the best pairing for Naruto though it's not like I actively oppose the others._

_**Steal-yo-lunch:** Glad to know that there're others who agree with me that Naruto's powers need time/enough will and strong motivation to increase. I don't plan on bashing Hinata or anything if that's what you're worried about. Also, here's your chapter! Do enjoy._

_**Mr. Halcall:** Naruto's mom is Senju Tsunade here- know it's been done a whole lot of time but I've always liked Tsunade better than Kushina (who was, originally going to be Naru's mom here, but changed at the last second.)_

_**kyokasuigetsutotsuka:** We'll see about the kissing things. Sasuke doesn't exactly strikes me as the touchy-feely type or go to someone for comfort, much less let her rival see her weakness. _

_**To the other reviewers:** Thanks for the reviews!_

**xXx**

**Author's Note: **Be warned, I only write the fighting scenes not following canon. The rest that I left out is exactly like canon (except for Sasuke's match, since hers is the first, I decided to let it be a special treat). Do leave a review once you're done reading.

I know some characters are not as strong/weak as they are in canon, but in this story, they are as strong/weak as I depict them to be.

People also say that I understand relationships and don't try to rush them, I'm glad to know that it isn't too rushed.

I would also appreciate opinions to improve this chapter or what you'd think would improve the story. Feel free to tell me though_** no flaming**_. Enjoy!

* * *

**Felo de Se**

**Chapter Seven: Chunin Exams Part III**

Naruto, Sasuke growled, was not the only one distracted by earlier events to fall asleep. She couldn't sleep either. She sighed softly, almost inaudibly, glancing up at the ceiling, weathered with age; the paint was peeling off. This place was old and smelly, different from the Uchiha Compound but it was nevertheless, more pleasant.

The heartbeats and soft breathing, and even snores, around her told her that she wasn't alone and that tonight, no nightmares would dare to knock on her door. For the first time ever since the Massacre, she allowed herself to completely relax; _Back Then_, she'd never been allowed to take part in sleepovers that Sakura and Ino — and sometimes, Hinata or some other female classmate — organized even though she sorely wanted to, heck, she couldn't even go to parties.

Her family said it was unlike an Uchiha to take part in those nonsensical events; it was what set them apart, what made them higher than the rest. She sometimes doubted what they said but missing out on parties wasn't so bad when_ he_ was still there; _he_ would always allow her to sleep with _him_, or play with _him_ whenever she missed out on a party, _he_ knew she was upset that she hadn't been able to go.

So all in all, her childhood before the Massacre was okay. _Before_ the Massacre, her mind reminded her sullenly. She scowled, turning in the bed, rustling the bed-sheets but the snores coming from the Inuzuka and Akimichi smothered the sound. She wasn't annoyed, she was used to people snoring; Shisui-nii snored too, whenever he crashed at their home (because he burned his house down in a failed attempt at cooking; his terrible cooking skills must've been inherited from their shared ancestor), and though her dad denied it to save his dignity, she knew he snored too.

Snoring, why on earth was she thinking about what people's sleeping habits?

She knew the answer the moment her fingertips touched her lips. She scowled, she was thinking about other things — regardless of how ridiculous and mundane it was — to get her find of the _totally accidental kiss_. _Yeah, right_, her mind taunted, always enjoying playing tricks on her making her doubt herself. _You didn't even push him away when he tried that_.

She was just shocked, that's all. It was the sole reason why she didn't react so soon. Sasuke sighed, knowing that she couldn't possibly fool herself any longer. She propped herself on her elbows, staring at the satin curtain that separated the boys from the girls. For the lack of anything better to do, she studied the bunk specially prepared for the Konoha genins. She'd seen it in the daylight but in the darkness, it didn't look as old or ugly anymore, just mysterious and dark.

All together, there were six bunk beds, plain yellowed-with-age sheets and wooden furnitures. A simple room. But Kabuto and his team was not here. Her fists clenched when she remembered the silver-haired traitor, they'd already informed Iruka-sensei but the man had told them to wait for it. She wondered what they were going to do.

Rustling sounds, and Sasuke could see the silhouette of one of the boys swinging his legs off the bunk and landing on the ground soundlessly. The spiky hair and lack of a dog told her it was Naruto; she stiffened when he made his way to the girls' side and parted the curtain. He lifted his hand in a wave, grinning slightly at her. Sasuke stiffened even more, scowling and glancing down when she saw Naruto's vine plant latched onto her wrist, _writing_ something.

_Wanna spar?_

Pursing her lips, she nodded and slid off her bed as silent as he was, grabbing her pouch of weapons and strapping it to her thigh. Unlike the other girls, she didn't change into her sleeping clothes, the reason was simply because she didn't bring any extra clothes; though the girls offered, she declined. She was very much comfortable in her turtleneck blue shirt (her clan symbol emblazoned on her back) and white skirt (of course she wore underpants down there!).

_Come on_, Naruto gestured wildly, excited as he tiptoed out the door and left it ajar for her to follow. Sasuke closed it as silently as possible, it would be trouble if anyone of them wake up now and started asking questions she had no answer for (like: what she felt for Naruto? What is their relationship?).

The tower was surrounded by the Forest of Death, they could train in there but then they could just train in the clearing behind the tower.

"Forest," said Naruto simply when she looked questioningly at him. She gave a non-committal, content with his choice; she could also use the chance to get to know the Mokuton abilities better.

Crossing her arms, she followed behind him but he slowed down enough so that the distance between them was closed. Then, abruptly, his hand slipped into hers and tug her forward till she was walking side-by-side with him. Her cheeks heat up a little and there were butterflies fluttering about in her stomach; she squashed it down ruthlessly. She wondered if this was considered a —

"This is like a date, isn't it?" Naruto winked at her, taking the words right out of her mouth. Her bangs were covering her face and the darkness shrouding them managed to shield the wry smile on her lips.

"A spar, don't flatter yourself," she corrected with no venom in her voice, sneering ever so slightly, finding the irrational urge to smile again but she pushed it back. She was finally going crazy, after all this years, she supposed, it certainly had nothing to do with the boy who was far too close beside her.

They walked in silence, their feet crunching the grasses and branches, but it staved away the eerie silence of the — and helped them ignore the screams coming from the Forest of Death where the genins were still trying to pass the Second phase.

"Hey, S'ke"—Said girl twitched at how the other shortened her name, like they were the best of friends or something; in some way, she supposed the answer was yes, after all, he was her only friend and the only one she could tolerate without wanting to throttle—"what happened earlier, er, the cause of Hinata-chan's unconsciousness, you're not mad right?"

What's there to be mad about when it felt _good_? Naturally, she did not voice her thoughts; she settled for grunting ("Hn.") and remaining silent though she did twitch a little when Naruto refer to the Hyuuga with such a close suffix.

Naruto tilted his head to the side in thought, still looking at her and though he couldn't see her, he thought she was in a pleasant mood; it was enough to lift his spirits — not that he was depressed or anything. "Did you like it?" he asked in a completely innocent tone, genuinely curious.

Sasuke twitched, dissecting the question word by word and scrutinizing the tone and his face for any clues as to what he was thinking. Only now did she realized how hard it was to read Naruto's expression when he didn't want anyone to know what he was thinking; usually, he put up a goofy and friendly front, but what was he really thinking even as he played the role of a fool, the light-hearted one to lift the others' spirits? Wow, now only did she know that he might not be as shallow as she'd thought. Evidently, she still had a lot to learn about him.

He was still looking at her with wide and earnest eyes. "Hn," she settled for saying in the end.

Naruto stomp his foot on the ground in frustration. "That's not an answer!" he protested but before he could continue on his tirade, he stopped, his ears prickling just as Sasuke jumped backwards, dodging the kunais that would've impaled her had she not move. The blonde turned, scowling, who dared interrupt their conversation? This was an important milestone in their relationship and he'd kick the ass of the person who interrupted.

He narrowed his eyes at the slanted lines on the ninja's headband. "Ninjas from the Rain."

"We killed some of them, well, our friends did," Naruto corrected himself in the middle, recalling that some of them had fought the Rain nins but there were two teams. This must be the other team left from Rain. He stepped forward but Sasuke stopped him, her Sharingan spinning though it was still developing with only two tomoes in the pupil.

"There's a genjutsu surrounding the area," she said calmly by way of explanation. "We've passed by that caterpillar twice now."

Naruto grinned wildly, cracking his knuckles. "Wonderful, time to bash some heads in."

Sasuke snorted softly but she agreed, these ninjas would prove to be a great distraction. The raven stiffened when a whole army of them jumped from the bushes, wearing the same uniforms and masks. She scowled, her Sharingan already pinpointing the real body; she snatched her partner's arm away from where he was bashing the head of clone in.

"Don't waste your time on them!" she snapped, pointing at the leader. "Get them!"

"Oh, and no chakra from you, 'kay?" Sasuke shot Naruto a furious glare for his last statement, punching him before she shoved him roughly away and leaped into the branches, intent on seeking out the others.

"All right, bastard," Naruto kept grinning as he commanded the trees into sweeping the army of clones out of his way. "Let's play."

* * *

Naruto dusted imaginary dust from his shoulder — not that it wasn't dirty in the first place but he thought doing it was cool, he'd always wanted to do that since he saw one of Ero-sennin's hero from one of the less perverted books — grinning down at the pile of tied up ninjas.

"Was that easy or what -ttebayo!"

"Don't be arrogant, dope."

"That's rich, coming from you, teme," sneered Naruto sardonically. "you're always the arrogant and snobbish one."

Abruptly, the girl turned and marched back to the tower, alarming Naruto, thinking that the insult had gotten under her skin. He didn't think too much about snapping back since that was one of their daily conversation. "Hey!" he called, jogging after her, keeping pace with her fast strides. "You mad or something?"

The raven didn't answer and Naruto sighed. "Y'know, sometimes, working with you is hard. I mean, you're so... what, cold and distant? Even I have some trouble trying to converse with you! Take... um, Hinata-chan for example: yeah, she's sociable, albeit a little bit shy... eh? Oi, teme, don't leave me here!"

The Senju glanced at the Uchiha's back, wondering what had made her sped up; her strides were quick and seemed pissed off, like she wanted to kill somebody. But surprisingly, she spoke even though her tone was bone-chilling. "Oh?" her voice was dark and mocking. "So, she's a better company than me?"

"Maybe. I mean —" Naruto was about to deny everything and say that, yes, Sasuke was better company but his current companion had all but run towards the tower. "Hey! Wait!" When he caught up to her, they were already close to their assigned room and he was panting slightly. "Jeez... what's your problem tonight?"

Her hand was on the doorknob and she was eyeing him coldly. "So, is Hyuuga cute or what?"

"Well, yeah —" Naruto didn't get to finish as Sasuke threw him a glare and storm off inside. He followed timidly in after, glancing at Sasuke's bunk and noting that she was already turning in for the night. He sighed as he made his own way to bed. Seriously, he thought with a sigh, what's with Sasuke? Her mood swings were so hard to interpret! What was so wrong about saying Hinata was cute, like a little sister he liked to pick on and protect; she was different from Sasuke's _you're cuter when you're angry_.

He sighed. Girls were complicated creatures.

* * *

For the past few days, things between Naruto, Sasuke and Hinata were chilly at best and hostile at worst. Naruto was baffled himself; ever since that night after fighting with the Rain ninjas, and the small Q&A later, Sasuke had been pissed off; well, she didn't show it much, but anyone worth their brains could read the situation.

She was cold and grumpy towards Hinata even when the girl was trying to be nice and she flat-out ignored Naruto. Hinata blushed every time she saw Naruto or when she talked to him, which made Sasuke's mood worsen, which baffled Naruto even more. The blonde was trying this best to patch things up with Sasuke — even though he didn't know what to make up for — and chatted politely with Hinata.

Finally, when the time had come for the Second phase of the Chunin Exam to come to an end, Naruto approached Team Ten. Shikamaru arched a brow when he saw him approach but otherwise kept silent. Chouji greeted him cheerfully while Ino glomped him; he hoped Sasuke didn't see it, or else he'd be getting scorching glares the whole day, she seemed to be doing that a lot recently: glare at him whenever he got close to a girl, even when there was five whole meters between them!

"So, Naruto-kun, what's the occasion?" Ino giggled. "Come to ask me out on a date?"

"No," Naruto said, watching as the girl's face fall into a pout. "Maybe next time but now, I need some advice, after all, your team has the um, smartest genin among us."

"With what?" Chouji asked before he glanced down at the floor, abashed. "That's if, you want me to help. I know I'm not as smart as Shika or as resourceful as Ino but..."

"Of course I would want your help!" Naruto scratched his marked cheek, glancing around nervously at the Genins from other villages crowded into the room; there were more than he predicted. "Err... I was wondering why Sasuke was so pissed at me and Hinata-chan."

Ino cocked an eyebrow at the endearing suffix. "Why do you call Hinata '-chan'?"

"She's like a little sister I have to protect and I've always wanted a baby sister!" Naruto frowned. "What does that have to do anything with Sasuke's mood?"

Shikamaru snorted, finally speaking up. "Women, so troublesome." Ino elbowed him which made him groan in pain, but he threw the Senju a disgusted look. "Can't you tell? She doesn't like you and Hinata together."

"Why?" If anything, Naruto was even more confused; maybe he shouldn't have come to this team for help. They weren't being particularly helpful and all he was getting was the migraine of the century; Shikamaru was right, women were troublesome. The Senju was tempted to storm up to Sasuke's face and demand in a loud voice what her problem with him was. "I — I really don't get it!"

"He really is a dope, Uchiha was right," Shikamaru sighed, shaking his head though he seemed a tad amused now. "Troublesome to explain but... yeah, it's a love triangle."

"Huh?"

Chouji munched on his chips, his mouth full as he elaborated. "What Shika means is that Hinata-chan likes you, Sasuke-san also likes you." He squinted. "But you only like one of them, right?"

"In short," said Ino, rolling her eyes. "Sasuke's jealous." She looked pointedly at Naruto, seeming hurt and resigned at the same time. "I liked you too, y'know, but you never noticed. Don't worry, I know I should give up since you're already painfully in love." Ino giggle teasingly, poking his cheek. "Aren't you?"

For the umpteenth time, Naruto felt his cheeks heating up due to a conversation related — directly or indirectly — related to Sasuke. "W — who are you talking about?" he choked out, face burning when Team Ten turned to stare at the Uchiha girl blatantly.

Feeling stares on her back, Sasuke turned, her impassive mask dissolving into a filthy glare when she saw Ino poking Naruto's cheek. Chouji cleared his throat awkwardly as Ino trembled from the glare. "As you can see," the orange-head said, drawing their attention back to him. "she doesn't like any girls getting close to you."

It took a very long time for the news to sink in Naruto's head; Sasuke liked him? Like that crush sorta thing? He didn't see it coming; he thought he was always annoying her and she hated him (it ached to think that the last part might be true). "Hey, thanks," he managed to say through his shock. "But, uh, one last thing: how do I approach Sasuke about this?"

"How do you feel about her?" Ino raised a blonde brow. "It's painfully obvious. But she's too obsessed with her vendetta against her older brother to notice or even bother with it. You're too dense and could easily lead the conversation to a minefield, thus, might ruin everything."

"Uh, I still don't see — "

"Greetings, everyone..." Naruto glanced desperately at the Hokage who had begun his welcoming speech, grudgingly, he sidled back to Sasuke's side, ignoring her deadly glare. He glanced at the Hokage then back at Sasuke who still was in a foul mood. Just as he was about to say something, a flash of silver killed his voice.

His jaw dropped; what was Kabuto still doing here? He was a traitor to Konoha and he was in league with Orochimaru! He shot a frustrated look at Iruka-sensei who didn't seem to notice him. A feeling akin to dread settled in his stomach, what if Iruka-sensei was in league with Orochimaru too? He needed to warn the Hokage, now and personally. But before he could say anything again (why is people always interrupting him when he had something to say?!), the Hokage's last sentence stunned him:

"...Let the preliminaries begin!"

"What?" he gasped. "I didn't —"

"We have to fight if we want to advance to the finals. There's too many of us that passed," said Sakura, worried, but her eyes were on Kakashi who nodded encouragingly and waved at them.

"But before the battles start, is anyone here incapable of going on?"

"Who go first... Oh. Sasuke, are you sure you can fight?" Sasuke glowered at Naruto who'd spoken up. When she stubbornly nodded, his hand latched onto her wrist, pulling her back, concern evident in his eyes. "You sure?"

"Yes," hissed the Uchiha venomously, irritated. Sometimes, Naruto's concern was not endearing nor was it touching like Sakura thought it was; to Sasuke, it was suffocating, why should he care whether she could fight or not? In her eyes, it was like he was severely underestimating her and it ticked her off. "Now, let go."

Naruto's eyes hardened and Sakura was worried that a fight between them would break out instead. Fortunately, it didn't happen, instead, he dredged up a shaky grin, saying, "You better win for me, got it?"

"Hn. Who do you think you are?"

He winked. "When we both make it to the finals, I'll take you out on a date!"

"FIRST MATCH: BEGIN!"

Sasuke threw Naruto a furious glare before he left to join the others in the ring.

* * *

He was absorbing her chakra, and it was simply hopeless.

Sasuke scowled, breathing heavily; damn it, was this how Lee felt? Unable to use ninjutsu and genjutsu to his aid, only capable of relying on taijutsu? Well, she doubted he would miss using them or would feel as helpless as she did when ninjutsu and taijutsu was out of the option, after all, would a man born blind miss being able to see?

Her respect for Lee had gone up a notch, she grudgingly admitted this as she spun out of the way as Yoroi Akado charged her, his technique intent on devouring all of her chakra. Desperately, the Uchiha glanced around the stadium for anything that would help her, give her advantage.

Even though she shouldn't be distracted, Sasuke's eyes found Naruto's anyway. The Senju was glancing focusing intently on her, hands gripping the metal railing with enough force to crush and his blue eyes were wild though they were encouraging.

"Hey, are you just gonna stand there and let him kick you ass, huh, Sasuke!"

Oh, great, leave it to him to scream her name and cheer. That, she could forgive, however, the next sentence made her blood boil. "Ne, Hinata-chan," Naruto was saying deliberately loudly. "I bet you could defeat that guy easily -ttebayo!"

That statement of course, made Hinata blushed pleasantly.

Sasuke gnashed her teeth together, shooting the Hyuuga and Senju each a furious glare, but her eyes riveted to Lee who was with his team, standing beside Naruto. Wait. Oh, she had an idea all right. The next time Akado came at her with intent to kill, she sidestepped, crouched low and delivered a powerful uppercut that send the traitor nin flying into the air.

"**Shishi Rendan**!"

Sasuke leapt after him, shadowing him, mirroring his vulnerable aerial position. She kneed his back, hearing a satisfying sickening crack before she continued to deal rapid but powerful blows. When she felt the momentum, she grabbed him and hurled him towards the ground following with a punch to the gut.

She landed on her opponent, sadistically viciously kicking him in the abdomen before she landed on the floor quietly, smirking when her opponent was out cold.

Hayate sweat-dropped when he saw the Uchiha clan heiress kicked the guy's head multiple times. Deciding to save the guy from severe brain injury, he cleared his throat which resulted in a cough again. "Well, WINNER: Uchiha Sasuke!"

Unexpectedly, the Konoha genins erupted into cheers. Sasuke felt her cheeks heat up a little, this was the first time so many people cheered her on. Usually, it was only her older brother and older cousin Shisui and very rarely, her mother. She jumped, landing on the railing before Naruto, scowling down at him.

"You were saying?" she grounded out threateningly.

Naruto paled rapidly. "I mean, I knew you could do it -ttebayo!" He waved his hand in a sign for help and to placate Sasuke which failed terribly and she was about to beat the shit out of him when Kakashi-sensei came to his rescue by intervening.

"Now, now, Sasuke," said the silver-haired man as he pulled his female student away from the sole male of the group. "We have other things to do."

"What things?" It was extremely stupid, in Naruto's opinion, to feel jealous and wary of his own teacher.

Kakashi's eye crinkled into a smile as if he knew what he was thinking. "Nothing that would make her cheat on you"—he swiftly ignored the splutters, and dodged the punches that followed this statement—"but we have to seal away the you-know-what." His voice was lowered to a whisper when he saw the last part, making Naruto grow serious.

"Good luck," said Sasuke gleefully, not cheerfully, but that sort of _you're about to suffer and i'm going to laugh my ass off at the trouble you're in_ glee.

Naruto eyed her suspiciously. "Why are you so happy?"

She merely pointed, smirking even as Kakashi Shuunshin'd them away.

Naruto turned, glanced at what she was pointing and paled almost as much as his opponent. He grinned nervously, palms getting sweaty .

"Well, good luck to us both, ne, Hinata-chan."

* * *

With dread that she hadn't felt in years, Hinata descended into the arena under the watchful eyes of everyone; it was more than enough to make her nervous. Already, doubt ate away at her; she stole a glance at Naruto who remained a cheery and encouraging grin at her.

It was enough to melt her insides, again her heart fluttered; but it was dashed the moment she was face-to-face with him once more. This had to be the worst match-up ever, aside from Neji-nii-san of course, but this was as equally terrible; to fight the boy she liked!

She worried her lip, looking past Naruto's sunny hair to where her cousin brother was glaring down at her coldly, there was a triumphant look in his eyes: _You can't win_. And she knew it.

"N-N-Naruto-kun... I—"

"Let's just do our best, okay?" Naruto threw her a wink, meant for encouragement even though he was intent on winning. "Don't hold back because I won't either." He slipped into a fighting stance, blue eyes though cheerful were now wary and determined. "I have to make it to the finals."

She slipped into her own Gentle Fist style stance. "M-M-May I i-i-inquire a-as t-to w-why?"

"If I make it to the finals like S'ke did, she promised that we'd go on a date!" He laughed. "Well, did that sound like a lame motivation to you? That's just part of the reason: being Chunin means a step closer to the Hokage position. It's my dream you see."

Every word made Hinata regret ever asking the question. Knowing that he liked Sasuke was hard enough, but she knew that she'd get over it someday, now, she didn't stand a chance in comparison to the Uchiha. She didn't want to hurt Naruto not did she want to crush his dreams...

"I s-s-see," she mustered a shaky smile as her hands flew into a series of handseals meant for activating the Byakugan. "I-I-I h-h-have m-my d-d-dreams t-t-too..." The veins crawled out from her ears to her eyes and instantly, her vision intensified. "S-s-so I-I-I m-m-must try m-my best t-to w-win!"

Naruto grinned brightly instead of being offended. "You go, girl!" And when the proctor dropped his hand, signalling the beginning of the fight, Hinata charged first.

She was a taijutsu expert, she was meant for close ranged combat but Naruto was made for all-ranged attacks. If she let him get far enough, she won't stand a chance, so it was best to strike him down first.

"**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**!" About six or more so clones poofed into existence, much to Hinata's surprise, they charged at her head-on. She was mildly surprised to find that they were real but she struck with no hesitance, straining to see the original as she dispersed the clones, coming out unscathed.

If it was against Neji-nii-san, it would not happen. She knew that Naruto was being merciful already.

She blinked, glancing around but saw no one. "Here!" She made the mistake of looking up, her palm shot up to deflect the blow, the moment Naruto's fist touched hers, he dispersed, showing that he was a clone. She jolted when someone clutched her knees and pulled.

She struggled but she gaped when roots shot out of the ground. She had to escape, only knowing one technique to get her out of this situation but not knowing it will work or not, she closed her eyes and concentrated on releasing her chakra from all her tenketsu, then she turned on her heels and started spinning.

"**Hakkesho Kaiten**!"

The roots kept coming, from tens to hundreds, forming a cage, shielding the battle from the arena for which Hinata was grateful. She didn't do as well with everyone watching her like a hawk; she detested attention, especially Neji-nii-san's hateful eyes, constantly watching her for mistakes and hating her even more.

Even if she would lose, she had to show him, that someday, she would be strong enough to inherit the Clan from her father and free the Branch Hyuga members. She couldn't disappoint him, her sister and her father — even if they barely pay any attention to her and view her as a failure.

She'd show them she's not a failure.

She only a split second to act; with a great amount of energy, Hinata forced the barrier larger, giving her enough space to maneuver herself out of the prison. Snatching a bomb tag and latching it onto the kunai, she threw it at the farthest root from her, causing an explosion and smoke.

It did not deter her, even though she heard her opponent coughing from the smoke.

She saw straight him, she sped towards him, stopping at a respectable distance and executed her next move.

"**Hakke Sanjūni Shō**!"

She'd trained this technique for two whole years ever since she got her hand on the scroll; yet, she did not possess the confidence that it would work but please, just this once to prove that she'd tried _and that all her efforts were not wasted_, please work (even though it usually backfire at her).

First, two consecutive strikes to make two — Naruto made a strained sound. Second, another two consecutive strikes to make four — there was a sickening crack. Third, four consecutive strikes to make eight — her opponent's body went limp. Fourth, eight consecutive strikes to make sixteen — her heart fluttered. Fifth, another sixteen consecutive strikes in succession to make a total of thirty two — she was done.

She panted, unable to believe that she'd been able to execute it perfectly. Her joy was short-lived as Naruto looked at her with wide eyes before his skin started to peel off, like a tree bark and all that left of her opponent was a dead root. She gasped, turning around.

"My turn." His hands flew into a rapid series of handsigns, puffing his cheeks. "**Suiton: Mizurappa**!"

Hinata found herself skidding backwards from the pressure, spluttering water and soaking wet.

"This will hurt, Hinata-chan," Naruto shot her an apologetic look as her tossed seeds to the ground (what was the use?) and started forming another series of signs. "**Mokuton Hijutsu: Jukai Kōtan**!"

From where the seeds landed — so this was how Naruto-kun created so many roots — root sprouted, eventually creating a dense forest right in the middle of the arena. Hinata didn't waste time gawking as she tried to find a way out of the forest — a Senju, especially a Mokuton-user, was deadly in a forest — her palms breaking and snapping any roots that came her way.

She tried to use **Kaiten** again but before she could do such, the trees closest to her exploded, sending her flying into a tree's tendril, she struggled but to no avail; she could only watch with horror as Naruto lunged, a chakra powered punch followed and all she felt was pain, stealing away her vision before everything went black.

* * *

It was over; everyone could tell from the lack of sounds.

Hayate coughed, squinting, and wondering how on earth was he supposed to tell anything in the dense forest — and how were the other genins going to fight now? — but his solution came when the Senju emerged from the forest, leaves and sticks in his hair and an unconscious Hyuga on his back.

"Hehe, sorry for the mess!" he grinned, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Guess I went overboard."

"WINNER: Senju Naruto!"

The stadium erupted in cheers, which made Naruto wave at his fans. Wow, it felt nice to be popular.

"Ano, Senju-sama." The addressed boy turned to see a few medics with a stretcher and first-aid kit. "would you please let Hyuga-sama onto the stretcher? We need to bring her for further treatment."

Naruto made a face. "I didn't hurt her that badly," he said though he did as told. When Hinata was carried away, he straightened himself and glance at the forest he'd made.

"Clear it, kid," Hayate ordered through the coughs wrecking his body.

Naruto started joining him in coughing as well. "I can only grow them. I have absolutely no idea when it came to summoning them back. I didn't even finish reading the scroll yet!" He winked, trying to wriggle his way out of the decapitation of the forest but from the way the proctor's eyes narrowed, no such luck.

From where he sat as the Hokage, Sarutobi chuckled as Naruto received an earful from the proctor. He took a long breath before releasing his breath, watching as smoke drifted up from the pipe. "He has quite the talent, doesn't he? Hinata-chan didn't do too bad either; they're both inheritors of the Will of Fire, it seemed." He said it in light-hearted tone, trying to strike up a pleasant and civil conversation.

Beside him, his advisers snorted, which dashed his hopes of a pleasant conversation.

"Still going about that Will of Fire crap?" Danzo looked irritated. "But I must agree with you about the boy's talent. The Hyuga's prowess can be found anywhere, merely mediocre, nothing to be in awe at."

Koharu and Homura instantly agreed, nodding their head and looking at Danzo like he was the Hokage. Though Koharu added her own two cents: "That boy had ruined the arena. How are the preliminaries supposed to go on now?"

Sarutobi rolled his eyes, there went his plan to kindle their old friendship (emphasis on_ old_). "A good deal of fire jutsu will bring the whole thing down. Nothing to fret about." A few shinobis volunteered, and in a few minutes the forest was burning away, accompanying the cracklings of fire was Naruto's howl of anguish.

It might've been comical had it the pain evident in his voice not been real.

"Next time," sneered Neji cruelly to the blonde downcast Senju. "think before you grow trees wherever you like. You needn't waste your energy on someone like Hinata anyway."

Naruto's head snapped up, furious. "How can you say that? She's your cousin and she gave her best!"

"Apparently, _that's_ her best. She never stood a chance against you, Senju, so why waste your chakra?" In the stead of Kakashi, Asuma and his students dragged Naruto away from beating the shit out of Neji who sneered right back. He would've taunted the impatient blonde more had it not been his turn for a fight.

He couldn't resist adding: "If you need such a technique to beat someone like Hinata, maybe you aren't as strong as I originally thought."

"Neji!" protested Tenten disapprovingly though he ignored her.

He glanced at the board, snorting when he saw the name Misumi Tsurugi, a fellow Konoha Genin though he doubt the clanless nobody would pose much of a challenge; he was fated to be of no talent. He leapt off his perch above and to the charred arena where the trees were being uprooted by earth jutsus and moved out of the way.

* * *

"THIRD MATCH: BEGIN!"

Surprisingly, Neji's opponent lunged first. The Hyuga fluidly settled into his stance, palms up and out. "Bring it," he hissed under his breath as his Byakugan activated — unlike that weakling Hinata, he didn't need handseals — and concentrated on the enemy's physique.

He blinked in mild surprise when he realized that his opponent was no longer running, instead, was elastic and was stretching himself like rubber, wrapping himself around Neji. The Hyuga's instant reaction:

"**Hakkesho Kaiten**!" Instead of getting broken bones, Misumi merely chuckled and pulled back, his elastic body prevented Neji from twisting him like pretzels with his price perfect defense; the pale boy had to admit he was mildly annoyed. Well, then, he'd just have to get physical, shut off the opponents' tenketsu and they would be immobile.

Neji lunged, close enough, and thrust his palm out right at where his opponent's pinpointed vital point was. "**Hakke Kūshō**!" Much to his satisfaction, his opponent went flying, crashing into the wall behind him. Despite his arrogance, he did not let his guard down, merely concentrated harder.

Misumi seemed to be truly out of it but when Neji flicked a kunai his way, the body melted into water. A water Clone, Neji noted with disgust and annoyance as he whirled around.

"**Shōtei**!" Expelling a bit more chakra than needed for this technique, Neji was not happy about it but it was worth it as he crumpled to the ground, the chakra having damaged his ribs and broken more than one bone in the body. But just for good measure and to satisfy a sadistic part of him, and to vent his anger out that he lost his chance at fighting Hinata and showing her place, he gave his opponent another few well-aimed **Shōtei**.

That guy was fated to lose to him.

"WINNER: Neji Hyuga!"

* * *

Naruto grumbled in displeasure, crossing his arms like Sasuke often did. "Great, now he's gonna have an even more bigger head." He glance at the board, eyebrow twitching in annoyance at the loud whoop and another loud proclamation. "Oh, even better, face-offs of two ego-head."

"I know you're in a bad mood that your girlfriend isn't here," Naruto spluttered indignantly at Ino's proclamation. "but you don't have to insult people just to vent."

"I'm not!"

"Hush, kids," said Asuma-sensei as he gazed down where Kiba had leapt down, following Kankuro's example. "The fight's starting."

Hayate glanced at the two kids from different villages. "Ready?" When he received identical nods and confident grins, he declared, "INUZUKA KIBA VS KANKURO OF THE SAND: BEGIN!"

Unsurprisingly, Kiba charged first. "Let's go, Akamaru!"

Unraveling the mummy from his back, Kankuro sneered, "Let's see what you've got, Konoha-nin."

"**Gatenga**!"

Throwing themselves forward at surprising velocity and speed at Kankuro, who's eyes widened in surprise when he saw the twin buzz-like shapes, coming towards him. He hands only had a split second to form a rather simple replacing jutsu before they hit.

Kiba and Akamaru landed side by side, the human cursing when he saw that they'd hit the puppet instead of the ninja. Kankuro sneered, his fingers moving nimbly; those movements were useless to Kiba, he didn't see what he could work out from there but in the next second, the guy's puppet — he called it _Karasu_, huh, what a lame name and partner; Akamaru was so much cooler! — flew into the air.

And the next second, Kiba found himself and Akamaru running, dodging the bombs hurled out by the puppets. Kiba growled, eyes scanning the smoke covered arena and realizing that he was now at a disadvantage. Akamaru barked; oh, that's right, he could just rely on his sense of smell.

"Come on boy, let's end this with a bang!" Knowing what he wanted, Akamaru jumped onto his back. "**Jinjū Konbi Henge: Sōtōrō**!"

"**Garōga**!" Kiba inhaled deeply, pinpointing where his opponent was and hurled himself into the smoke in a spinning tornado. The ground, even though they did not touch it, cracked and jagged rocks flew from the sheer vacuum of the vortex. Kiba felt proud that they can show those Suna-nins what they Konoha-nins could do! No one underestimates the Inuzuka Clan!

He felt something tearing and cracking before he stopped spinning, landing and separated from Akamaru. The smokescreen was clearing but he still couldn't see very well, so he was totally unprepared when someone hugged him from behind; at first, he thought it was freaky puppetmaster but then he realized the arms were wooden and —

"Gah!" Searing, something flowed into his veins and Kiba instantly recognized it as poison. Akamaru barked in alarm when he stumbled but the puppet — he dimly made a note that it wasn't Karasu — clutched tightly onto him. With a snarl, and a ferocious surge of strength, he elbowed the puppet and wriggled free.

Kankuro, however, wasn't done yet; Kiba could only smell him but he knew that his opponent wasn't in his striking range but the Suna-nin's voice was heard loud and clear as he spun both of his puppets. "**Dokukiri Jigoku: Baribari Hyaku Renpatsu**!" Karasu's body parts cracked open new components and the next thing, Kiba knew, he was choking on a cloud of purple smoke consisting of poisonous particles.

Something pierced his neck and the rest of his exposed skin, tingling and all he could feel was something invading his body before unconsciousness took over.

* * *

"WINNER: KANKURO OF THE SAND!"

Naruto stiffened, glancing up at the proclamation, a scowl heavily in place. "Damn it. I would prefer one of us to win than the other foreign ninja," he growled as his fellow Konoha-nins nodded in agreement.

As if he heard him, Kankuro glanced up, smirking smugly at the gathered Konoha-nins. "It seems like Konoha's standards are dropping, if someone like him could be a ninja."

"You jerk! Konoha is the strongest shinobi village -ttebayo!" Naruto snarled, waving his fist threateningly in the air but when he sniffed poison, he knew he had to rescue Kiba from the cloud of poison before the guy actually die in there — the medics didn't dare enter, apparently, Konoha didn't give their medics gas masks for emergencies. He was going to have a talk with the Hokage about this, he knew his mother would disapprove of this.

Naruto frowned, concentrating, there were a few seeds left from his battle there and if he concentrated enough... A single thick root shot out of the ground, abruptly pushing through the smoke before diving back in and retrieving a limp body. "Got him!" Naruto declared unnecessarily, as he carefully maneuvered the root to gently place Kiba on the stretcher. The medics saluted him in an act of gratitude before leaving with the injured nin in tow.

Naruto felt slightly embarrassed but he nevertheless, savored the attention. Hehe, it was nice to be looked up to.

"So, the Mokuton's very useful in situation like these, huh?" drawled Shikamaru, looking a tad interested despite his lazy slouch and the tone he used.

Naruto beamed, nodding.

* * *

"... Then there's the ninth match; it pitted Gaara and Bushy-Brows against one another, and do you know what happened? Gaara practically crushed Bushy-Brows and now the medics say that he couldn't be a ninja again!" Naruto snarled vehemently, crushing the metal railings they were leaning against now. Sasuke frowned, her opponent in the Finals was that strong? Naruto seemed to thinking along the same lines too as his vehemence was replaced by concern. He scrutinized Sasuke heavily. "You sure you could beat him?"

That riled the Uchiha up. "Of course I can." Then after a pause, willingly, she added. "Kakashi's going to train me for the whole month so I won't be having much free times after today."

Naruto perked up at the hidden implication. "Oh, that's right! The date."

"You've forgotten? Good."

"Don't be mad, I didn't forget at all!" Naruto hastily said when he saw his companion's eyes narrow dangerously. "Where d'ya wanna go?"

"Anywhere but the hospital," the Uchiha wrinkled her nose in distaste at the last word, pushing herself off the railing and walking towards the stairs leading down from the roof the two clan heirs were cloud-watching.

"Why don't you just jump down from here?" asked Naruto as he followed her, arms crossed behind his head. "It's much quicker that way."

"Unlike you, Senju," Sasuke's voice sounded dry, rebounding in the small space and echoing around them. "I at least want to act like I'm normal." Naruto pouted at the inadvertent insult, but knowing that he would be going somewhere with his best friend-that-might-be-more excited him enough to not retort.

"So, so, I was thinking we could go to Ichiraku's—"

"No way."

"Aw — Oof!" Naruto rubbed his nose from where he'd ran into Sasuke. "What's the holdup for?"

Sasuke's eyes were smoldering as she glared at something in the hot-springs. Naruto cocked an eyebrow, curious as he followed her gaze, which landed on a long and spiky white mane belonging to a man clad in net-shirts, and a red coat. His eyes brightened whereas his date's eyes darkened, like she was contemplating murder.

"Come on," said Naruto, excited, as he linked his hands with Sasuke's, not noticing her wide eyes and slight blush. "I'll introduce you to him!"

The statement baffled Sasuke enough to wipe the blush away. "You_ know_ him?" she sounded incredulous and pissed but Naruto nodded enthusiastically.

"He's my godfather! He may be a pervert, but he's a nice guy — Oi, Ero-jiji, stop peeking at the ladies — Umrf!" Naruto abruptly found himself slipping out of Sasuke's limp grasp, as his godfather hauled him forwards, slinging an arm around his shoulders and lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "What the heck, Ero-sennin?"

"It's Jiraiya-sama, or, the Great and Most Awesome Jiraiya, you brat!" The white-haired sage darted another glance at the dumbfounded Uchiha (a very rare situation) before he glanced down at his godson who struggled, squirming. "Okay, kid, tell who that totally cute chick is, I gotta hook her up —" He didn't get the chance to finish as Naruto's chakra empowered fist met his chin.

"OW!" he howled in pain, releasing his godson who rolled out of the way. He pushed himself up into a seating position, rubbing his aching chin; the kid's punch was almost as painful as Tsunade-hime's, definitely mother and son, those two. "What the heck was that for, brat!"

But Naruto wasn't concentrated on him, rather, his female companion. "S'ke, stay away — and I mean it — from that old pervert, or he'll hurt you real bad." Then Naruto pointed an accusing finger at him. "And you — stay away from her, you got it? Or I'll tell Mom!"

Jiraiya grunted in pain. "I was about to say _hook her up with you_, why did you hit me? You know I'm no pedophile to go after little girls!"

Now, the Uchiha's eyes narrowed. "And I won't go near a pervert, like you."

Great, Jiraiya thought, more brats with sharp tongues and had no respect for their seniors. He sighed, and judging from the girl's aloof and totally Uchiha attitude, she might have a fiery temper and could pack a few hard punches; he could see Minato's taste in girls in Naruto.

Why did his foolhardy students always go after chicks that are more likely-than-not cause them severe physical harm? Well, maybe because he was their teacher, after all, he never stopped chasing after his hot-headed teammate no matter the number of castrations and punches.

And the Uchiha girl was pretty, would grow into a drop-dead gorgeous sort of beauty. Naruto made the right choice; he sighed dramatically, patting his student's blonde spikes. "You've grown up, Naruto, accomplishing what I couldn't do. Even I couldn't get an Uchiha girl to look at me with my irresistible charms."

The Uchiha looked at him, her eyes were like, _this guy's supposed to be one of the Legendary Sannins? _Yeah, Jiraiya got that looks a lot but he didn't mind, it was his hobby and bread of life. The little kids had no right to criticize him. "You better run along now, after today, I have to steal Naruto away from you for training."

"Let's go," insisted Naruto as he pulled on the girl's arm, dragging her out of the hot springs; he looked nervous and the Uchiha was looking at him, wide-eyed. Oh? Had she fallen for his charms.

"Heh, even girls that young likes me!" He threw his head back, momentarily awed by his own awesome that he did not hear the sounds of knuckles cracking until he saw the shadow of death looming over him. When he turned, he suddenly understood why the Senju and Uchiha had fled so quickly. He gulped, raising both hands in a placating manner. "Now, now, ladies... I was just..." he scrambled for an excuse but what came out was only a pathetic whimper as the ladies surrounded him, and all that registered next was pain and pain and _he was out_.

* * *

"So... that's your trainer?" Sasuke sounded sardonic though now that Naruto had gotten better at reading her expressions, he knew she was partially amused. "Are you a pervert like him too, dope?"

Naruto made a face. "Ew, no." Silence reigned and Naruto suddenly felt awkward as they walked in the bustling streets of Konoha, side-by-side and an almost companionable aura around them. He didn't know why, but his rapid heartbeat was annoying loud in his ears; when Sasuke glanced at him curiously, his heart felt like it wanted to leap out of his chest, his eyes darted rapidly around the streets and landed on a tea shop.

He cleared his throat awkwardly. "You want to eat... uh, dango?" Naruto wasn't particularly fond of dangos but it was sweet enough and it was on the top list of the menu.

Sasuke's face darkened. "No. I hate sweets."

Naruto hummed, storing that little bit of information in his head for later use. He contemplated pulling the girl into a restaurant and just eat there but he didn't like being stared at like an item, and he knew Sasuke did not appreciate being appraised. But eating while walking wasn't exactly healthy or polite. "What do you wanna eat?"

"Going on a date is not all about eating, you know," Now, Sasuke sounded seriously amused; he chanced a glance at her and noticed that her lips were tugging up into something resembling a smile — his heart must've missed a few beats, he need to get his mother to check on him, maybe he had some heart problems? "we could still do other things."

"Like normal civilian couples?" Sasuke looked bored at the prospect but Naruto ploughed on. "I thought you said you wanted to look like you're normal." She shot him a brief glare for throwing her words back in her face but he merely grinned and dragged her towards the closest cinema, which was, conveniently, next to a book store.

As one, the two clan heirs darted behind a wall to hide. "What's Kakashi-sensei doing here?"

"A better question: why are we even hiding?" hissed Sasuke, irritated. "It's not like we're doing anything wrong."

"Uh, it felt instinctive."

"Good answer."

"Well, let's come back later," Naruto started pushing Sasuke away from where their sensei was giggling over a book; what was his problem? "In the mean time, why don't we..." his eyes wandered again but this time, he spotted something of interest. "play gambling?"

"We're underage," Sasuke remarked snidely but she didn't resist as Naruto pulled her along.

"I'll win a few things, you'll see." The ease and confidence Naruto carried as he placed his bet was unnerving, even her older cousins were forbidden from entering this place underage and yet, the blonde looked like he was completely at home here. Seeing her questioning look, he said, "My mom always come here, regardless of the warnings she gets and she brings me along with her ever since I could walk."

So he'd been there since he was a toddler? While he was playing, Sasuke let her eyes and mind wander. She was quite bored, she'd rather spar than this. Why weren't civilians bored when they do these things? She'd never understand them.

"Ne, S'ke," Naruto called her by her shortened name and she was mildly surprised to find that she wasn't that irritated. She grunted in acknowledgement. "I won a few thousand ryos but that's it." he hesitated before he said, "Why don't we spar?" which brightened her mood considerably.

She nodded, and suddenly, in a mood to jest, shoved Naruto. "Beat you there, dope." And took off.

Naruto remained baffled for a moment before he ran after her. "Hey!" he yelled. "Play fair and square, teme!"

When Sasuke craned her neck and shot him a look, his breath was stolen as she briefest of a genuine smile crossed her face before she sped off into the distance. Naruto grinned, taking chase; they didn't need to follow the civilians way of a date and how they court the one they like...

Sasuke's punches and kicks were hard and fast, he kept up though, deflecting and delivering his own hit. When they turned to their exceptional arsenal of ninjutsu and genjutsu, things only got more heated up, the more danger, the stronger the blows she dealt him, his heart picked up speed faster, as he saw her dance around the battlefield, her crimson pupils spinning and assessing _and she was beautiful_.

Their bodies moved in unison in the same pattern: hit—dodge—counterattack—sidestep—punch—deflect—ins ert a few jutsus here.

...they were_ shinobi_, playing dangerous games and dancing a deadly tune was how they usually tell someone they like that said person.

**xXx**

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**Author's Note:** Review and tell me what you think, eh?

Also, I have started a poll concerning new stories, go there and vote which story you like better to read?


	8. Invasion of Konoha Part I

**Answer to Certain Reviews:**

**Guest: **Oh, hey, hope you're still reading. The flashbacks will end at chapter eleven or twelve. I'm sure this time as I already have the next few chapters written.

**Ame no Kageseo:** You're right. The 'needing seeds to grow plants' thing was so that Naruto wouldn't be too overpowered. I want to see him struggling a bit. Am I bad? O.O

**roboguy45:** Yeah, thought that Naruto with nature marks would be cool. To me, Hashirama has a mark as well, just not visible under what he wears. Well, about Sasuke's name, I read in a fic that the author found that Sasuke is the name of a goddess. I don't like any super-powered characters, minor OC or not, and I never said Sasuke and Naruto would actually end up together long enough to have a child. XD hehe... I have many tragic endings in mind. But I do like the Senju-Uchiha dynamic, readers should expect lots of Mokuton!Naruto from me.

**kooloowarrior:** I rarely read FemNaru/Sasu even though I favorited some. I have the impression that Naruto would be nicer to those he likes. If you still don't like it, well, you can wait for another new FemSasu/Naru story of mine (it's guaranteed to have late romance and many arguing).

**wert:** Naruto will mature in this fic, unlike when in canon.

**To other reviewers:** _Thanks, keep reviewing, I'd really appreciate__ it!_

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**Author's Note: **Be warned that if you're expecting long fighting scenes, you'll be disappointed. I don't waste my time with those. No battles last so long; either they're stronger in an aspect or they're weaker and thus, the outcome of the battle. 0.o I really don't do long battles, in fact, I'm not that good in writing fighting scenes.

Because of this, I find this chapter... not satisfactory, I'll probably edit it once I'm free or when inspiration strikes to make this chapter cooler. Or, maybe you have a suggestion...?

And, wow, this chapter is easily the longest I've ever written.

Also, this story could be considered following canon with a few different events (and extra events). If you're expecting major changes, you should **check out the poll I have on**, and **vote for which story you'd like to read** (most of it NaruFemSasu)- I have the prologues ready already, just don't know which one I should post first.

Or, if you want, you can leave a review and vote here.

* * *

**Felo de Se**

_written by GaleSynch_

**Chapter Eight: Invasion Of Konoha Arc Part One**

"She thinks you're a freak, you know," continued Naruto dryly, not noticing how his mentor's shoulders were twitching uncontrollably. "She also said that she didn't think that there was—"

Jiraiya had had enough. "Shut up about her, you brat!"

Naruto stopped mid-sentence, blinking owlishly at his mentor's depressed and pissed off face, before he grinned, finally understanding what the big guy's problem. This was an ammo he wouldn't be letting go. "Oh, that's right," he drawled. "I forgot. You won't understand half the things I'm saying since you never had a date before. I'm so sorry I forgot."

"Why you little—!"

Naruto laughed, ducking out of Jiraiya's swipe, evidently pleased that he'd rile his sensei up. Jiraiya scowled heavily, crossing his arms moodily, childishly saying, "I see... I guess I should just leave and continue my research instead of wasting my time teaching brats who don't respect their ideas—"

"Now, now," interrupted Naruto, sliding before Jiraiya, raising his arms in a placating manner, grinning sheepishly. "I was just kidding. What is our lesson today?" His blue eyes scanned the area as he spoke, but the thoughtful look dropped into a frown when he saw the hot-springs behind them.

Seeing his student's disapproving look, Jiraiya rolled his eyes. "Calm down. I'm here to teach you chakra control."

"I already learned that!"

"Can you walk on water?" Jiraiya pressed, doubtful when the Senju nodded forcefully. "Can you do it when you're fighting?"

Naruto stopped his vigorous nodding, considering. "No idea. Never tried. But that's not important! There's this asshole in the Chunin Exams who work for Orochimaru-teme! He placed some sort of seal on the... you know... and my chakra control's been shot to hell! I broke my fingers when I tried to use Mom's super-strength!"

"You should've told me earlier," said Jiraiya; no wonder Naruto failed terrifically when he battled his shadow clones and was unable to concentrate. "Where? Show me."

Naruto didn't hesitate to do so, watching impatiently as Jiraiya crouched and examined the seal, stroking his beardless chin and frowning in contemplation. "Please don't tell me you can't do anything about it," grumbled Naruto. "I'm against Hyuga asshole Neji in the Finals and this will be a hindrance!"

"Shut up, brat, don't you dare underestimate me!" Jiraiya grumbled, standing up from his crouch and Naruto only had a split second to see his mentor's fingers glowing with characters before the air was pushed from him, he choked. "**Gogyō Kaiin**!"

Naruto rubbed his aching stomach but when he stood on the hot water again, it was easily executed. He grinned, performing the hand seals necessary for his favorite technique and this time, when they fought, he did not sink. Jiraiya watched his progress with a satisfied grunt.

"Well," said Jiraiya as Naruto dried himself with a towel. "I guess it's time you learn how to make use of your tenant's power." Naruto stiffened, turning to face him with wide eyes, disbelief etched onto his face. Before he could explode however, Jiraiya hurriedly continued. "Come, now, he makes your life harder, shouldn't he be working on how to make it easier, else he might die along with you?"

Naruto's scowl did not leave his face. "Are you fucking kidding me?!" He snarled in a harsh whisper, lowering his voice when a few people glanced their way.

Jiraiya sighed. This would be a long one-month for sure.

**-felony of himself-**

"Come on, brat, you don't have to be so pissed."

Naruto feigned surprise. "Oh, I suppose," sneered the blonde, sardonically, mockingly as he crossed his arms, shooting his so-called teacher a scathing look. "I shouldn't be too mad that my own godfather and fucking teacher _pushed me off the fucking cliff_!" Jiraiya recoiled, sweat-dropping some when the Senju completely lost it. "HOW COULD YOU! I could've died trying to summon a stupid toad! When Mom hears this, you're dead! And I'll make sure she hears it!"

"Whoa, whoa." Jiraiya scrambled forward, blocking Naruto's path, preventing him from getting a messenger hawk and sending it straight to his mother, he knew the boy would do it and Tsunade-hime would murder him for trying to get him killed. "It's all in the name of training! Okay?" Naruto's furious glower did not dim one bit. "All right, fine, maybe I'll teach you a technique?"

Maybe it was time to teach the boy the** Rasengan** which was his father's incomplete technique? Just as he was about to suggest this, Naruto interjected.

"Teach me the **Hiraishin**."

"Sure. Wait, what? No!"

" _'Dear mother, did you know that your beloved teammate tried to kill me by pushing me off the cliff?_' " Naruto tapped his foot impatiently on the ground, glaring at Jiraiya who was gaping at him. "It'll be the first sentence on the letter."

"Look, kid, I don't know how to teach you—"

" '_I was severely injured and he even forced my tenant's_—"

"No! It's the **Rasengan** I'm going to teach you!"

Naruto leveled him a scathing look. "I know Rasengan is a close-ranged technique. Are you crazy? Neji will kill me as long as I'm in range! My hand's shorter than his, he'll be able to land a hit on me before I can get him with the Rasengan! Think about it; the Hiraishin will be more useful! I'll be so fast he won't be able to land a hit, much less see me!"

Jiraiya hesitated and Naruto dealt the final blow.

"My teammates were hurt, badly, and I was so damned far. By the time I got there, it was already too late! If I had the Hiraishin... they wouldn't be so badly hurt again, Sasuke nearly died!"

Jiraiya scowled. "Oh, so in the end, it all leads back to her. I knew it."

"And my other friends. Why are you so hesitant? Are you trying to hold me back? Because I might be a threat to Konoha with my tenant? Or is it because I'm not good enough, that I'm too incompetent to learn it?"

It did not hurt to add the beaten-puppy look when he delivered the last sentences.

Jiraiya crumbled, unable to withstand the hurt blue eyes. That kid was going to be the death of him someday.

**-felony of himself-**

The streets of Konoha were mostly bare for the occasional shinobi landing on the ground to gain footing before resuming the pace to head to their own destination. The shops were all closed, specially for the Chunin Exams held at the stadium, easily the largest place in Konoha. The stadium was mostly empty except during civilian performances or like, shinobi battle royals more commonly known as the Chunin Exams where each village showed off.

This stadium was now packed, after a month long of anticipation for the showdown between the ninjas of each village. It was also this place full of people that one Senju was headed towards, alone, without his mentor as the man had left to do more research.

Naruto trembled with anticipation. To his embarrassment, his palms were sweaty and he hurriedly rubbed his hands on his pants. His sensitive hearing caught the cheers of the crowd and it only made his heart beat faster. To assure himself, he gripped the handle of the Hiraishin Kunai tightly. His feet refused to budge however and people were starting to stare at him weird.

"Ready?" A hand clamped down on his shoulder and squeezed, reassuring him without words.

Naruto nodded grimly. But as it was uncharacteristic of him to remain so silent and nervous, he said, "If I said no, can I postpone it?"

"No," Jiraiya said, slapping his student's back and pushing him forward, through the threshold where the people of Konoha and many other villages were waiting to see the Senju heir. Tsunade was going to kill him for what was about to transpire, especially after seeing the boy's technique, who wouldn't be able to connect the dots? "Now, go, do your clan name and sensei proud!"

Naruto stumbled but fortunately, no one saw. It would've been uncool.

It could've been his imagination but the shouts and cheers were louder the moment he entered the stadium where the Finals were held.

He glanced around, trying to stave away his nervousness especially when he heard his rabid fan girls scream. His eyes automatically scanned the place, looking for a familiar pale girl. Finally deciding that it was hopeless to look in the sea of faces, he ascended the stairs, to where the test candidates were gathered.

Some of Naruto's confidence flowed back in with anger and pride, when he saw Neji's sneer. He scowled back but for the sake of unity in their village, stayed away from him lest he punched the guy or something, walking to the other end of the box and settling down on a chair. His dark blue-grey robe with grey lining and a fur collar fanned out when he sat down. He frowned, wondering what everyone was staring at; it wasn't like his tattered grey-blue cape emblazoned with the Senju Clan mark, was such a rare sight.

Still, people stared even though Naruto didn't think there was anything to stare at; what was so nice about his attire? They just consisted of a black shirt beneath the coat, fingerless opera-length black gloves wrapped in studded orange leather straps, baggy black pants with orange stripes, and red-brown sandals. The clothes were chosen by Jiraiya, and, apparently was what his father wore back when he was the same age as Naruto was now.

He had changed a lot, he knew, his once short bangs were now jaw-length (too late and too less time to go to a hair salon, but Naruto didn't plan on making himself look uglier by simply cutting it with kunai; he had styles man), similar to his father before his death. It was unnerving, but after tapping the Kyuubi's chakra, his vine marking started to recede, turned root-black, generally forming a thick mass of bad-assery. Naruto had wanted to dye his hair black or at least wear the Yondaime's coat as a joke but when reminded that his mother wouldn't be pleased, those ideas were discarded.

The pros could not outweigh the cons.

Naruto glanced around; all the participants were here but Sasuke wasn't.

"Naruto-kun!"

Said boy blinked, looking up from where he was laying on his back to see the familiar faces of his friends. "Yo!" he greeted cheerfully, raising a hand. He grinned when he saw Kiba and Hinata. "Doing well, I see. Nice battle, Hinata-chan, I had fun fighting you. And Kiba still owes me his life."

The Inuzuka grinned ferally, revealing his sharp canines which Naruto could only match when he was in Kyubi mode. "No one asked for you help, Senju." He was suddenly shoved away by a certain blonde girl who threw her arms around Naruto. "Tch."

Naruto managed to keep himself on his feet when Ino tackled him into a very enthusiastic hug. Hinata looked on disapprovingly, seeming to pout and Naruto only had time to wonder why when Ino's loud voice squealed in his ear.

"You've changed, Naruto-kun! You're even more handsome than ever, right, Hinata?"

The Hyuga jerked, blushing furiously when asked but she nodded. Naruto grinned sheepishly, nevertheless, blood thrumming in pleasure. "Thanks, girls." The compliment would only be so much sweeter if—

"Where's Uchiha?"

Naruto shrugged, mood dampening slightly. "No idea."

Fortunately, everyone was spared from saying anything as the speaker crackled, announcing the beginning of the Finals. Naruto frowned, Sasuke wasn't even here yet and the second match was her against Gaara! She wouldn't be running away, more likely, Kakashi-sensei had influenced her!

Naruto didn't have time to grumble or wonder what had happened to her as the announcer all but yelled to get the crowd's attention.

"There would be some altercation in the matches," the proctor said to the finalists. Naruto blinked owlishly, wait, what? Did that mean he wouldn't be able to smear the Hyuga into bean paste? He scowled heavily at the prospect and wondered what brought on the changes. "First Match: Nara Shikamaru and Temari."

"Second Match: Kankuro of Suna versus Aburame Shino of Konoha."

"Third Match: Senju Naruto versus Hyuga Neji."

"Fourth Match: Gaara of the Sand against Uchiha Sasuke. And that would be all."

Naruto calmed considerably, but he was curious as to why the matches had been altered, wasn't he and Sasuke supposed to go first? Maybe because Sasuke wasn't there yet? Changing the battles, man what favoritism but it was to be expected. The Uchiha's and Senju's matches were what everyone had been paying to see. And Naruto wasn't one to complain when he got extra time even though he was pumped and ready to go. More time meant he had more time to plan out his strategy.

**-felony of himself-**

Naruto spent the time growing and reviewing his strategy (he sincerely doubted it would be as good as whatever Shikamaru had cooked up for his match). Sasuke still wasn't anywhere near the stadium when the second match startedand he was starting to grow worried. On one hand, he was concerned as to what would happen to her, wanted to see her again no matter the circumstances, on the other hand, he didn't want her to fight against someone like_ Gaara_. Talk about conflicting.

But those conflicts ended when someone bumped his shoulder. He turned, excited, his worries pushed away for now as he inhaled the familiar scent of wood, fire, land after rain and still that slightest scent of strawberry milk. She'd changed as had he. He took in her new appearance, attire eagerly.

She wore mesh leggings (which only reach below her knees) and on her forearms. She wore a black tight-fitted dress with lilac outlines, fire painted the ends of her dress and a dark blue jacket patterned with lilac fire. Belts criss-crossed her waist, holding up pouches of many pointy and dangerous things. The standard black sandals and fingerless blue-black gloves. Nice.

"So..." he waggled his eyebrows. "Who chose your clothes?"

"Sensei did, he said I was too unappealing." The way she put it implied that she'd tried to kill Kakashi for what he'd said. She looked taller than before, her skin peachier with a healthy glow and she radiated a far more confident and powerful aura than before; her chakra crackled. He took a rose in handy and presented it to her.

She scowled, obviously, she had no love for flowers. But, at least, this time, she did not throw it away or step on it. She examined it critically, watching it as the red submitted to the yellow. "Kakashi said my primary nature is lightning, not fire."

"Learned something new?"

"Don't be blown away, Senju."

"Don't count on it, Uchiha."

"THIRD MATCH: SENJU NARUTO VS HYUGA NEJI!"

"Don't go easy on him."

He winked. "See you at the last match?"

Her superior smirk was enough of an answer.

**-felony of himself-**

Naruto offered Neji a strained smile as they entered the arena. Despite being rivals, he didn't want to come off as rude and snobbish as the Hyuga prodigy.

"So... anything you want to tell me before we battle?" Naruto asked, sincerely curious, not taunting. But Neji took it the wrong way. As usual. He scowled, assuming the Senju was mocking him.

Sighing, Naruto brought his hands together, forming the seals with practiced ease. "**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**!" Six clones poofed into existence, they traded nods before they charged the Hyuga, trying to assess his skills even though Naruto already knew in terms of taijutsu, he was unbeatable.

Naruto decided against using the Hiraishin seeing as Neji, though was skilled and could see everything, wouldn't be fast enough to counterattack his teleportion technique. He supposed he'd just just the **Shuunshin Jutsu** to evade the guy's attacks.

Neji's eyes narrowed but he didn't take his eyes off the clones, and with fluid slaps, distributed them all. Naruto winced slightly, feeling a little of their pain as the clones dispersed, their memories and whatever info they carried flowing back into him. He considered his next moves carefully, staring at Neji with pity but he couldn't help the proud smugness.

With his speed, the Hyuga was nothing.

"Quantity would never beat quality," stated Neji flatly. "it does not matter how many of you there are, I can still beat them. If that is all you have, you are fated to lose. I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised, like everyone else, your abilities are predetermined from birth. Your fate had been chosen even before you were born!" With that said, he charged,

Naruto's eyes widened. "**Jūho Sōshiken**!" Naruto grunted, but he blinked in surprise when he saw Neji's hands shrouded by identical lion head chakra as he slammed his fist forward. Naruto went skidding backwards from the attack.

Neji's eyes narrowed coldly. "You are not, but a boy hiding under the past fame and glory of his clan. It seems that fate has other plans with the Senju Clan, for giving them a heir such as you."

The smoke caused by the attack cleared, giving the audience a show of Naruto's body crumbling into wood. "Hey, you, watch your mouth. Don't insult my clan." Neji's eyes widened; the Senju had slipped into his blind spot! Damn it, he cursed inwardly, how did he find out? Did Hinata sell him out? He wouldn't put it past his cousin.

Roots gripped Neji's ankles, slowly crawling up his body, trying to encase and suffocate him. "**Jūkenpō Ichigekishin**!"

"Whoa!" Neji watched with little satisfaction as Naruto was sent flying by the sheer force of his chakra expelled in large amounts. Naruto stood, dusting himself off, rolling his blue eyes. "Man, you don't have to go all out."

"I acknowledge your strength, Senju. You are born into a clan full of powerful nins, you are fated to be strong just as I am."

Naruto grounded his teeth. "You said it like I never had to lift a finger to reach where I stand now! Are you insulting my hard work?!"

"No," replied Neji calmly. "Hard work does not matter, unlike how Lee puts it. He and Hinata are fated to be losers, born failures. It didn't matter how much they wanted to win, they were fated to lose to us from the very beginning. Everyone is different; they can only live in the indisputable flow of life and walk the path that fate has been laid out before them. But there is one fate that everyone possesses, one we all share and fate would ensure we reach, that is death."

Naruto was_ impressed_. This guy was seriously emo, even Sasuke didn't talk about how everyone was supposed to die. She just wanted to kill some guy, for vengeance; they never talked about the certainty of death, and how inevitable it was. They just... lived, loved, laughed and fought for tomorrow.

"That's why we fight, why we struggled, everything is to live, to see tomorrow!" Naruto truly felt pity for the guy. He'd dug around for info on Neji and Ero-sennin's network of spies had gladly provided about the history between the Kumo and the Hyuga Clan and what happened to Neji thereafter. He felt sorry for the guy for losing his dad like that and forced to be enslaved, but that didn't mean he had to go blame everything on everyone! Did the guy not see how his teammates and sensei care for him no matter how harsh and cruel he was? "When I become Hokage, I'll change the Hyuga Clan for you, I promise!"

"Your promises meant nothing to me," spat Neji as he charged again, eyes narrowed in anguish and hate. It reminded Naruto of Sasuke for a moment, but her eyes, even at their most hopeless had never been so dead, there was always that determined Will of Fire—Neji had none, he'd lost hope, but Naruto was determined to reach out to him.

"It's not a promise, it's a fact!"

"Shut up! **Hakke Rokujūyon Shō**!"

Neji was stunned when his attacks didn't hit true. Naruto flickered in and out of existence, before he landed close to Neji, right in his face. "All that talk about fate, did you know that fate would have you losing to me? You're just using fate as an excuse, to hide behind your anguish and pain!" Naruto's eyes softened momentarily. "I understand how it feels like to have a seal on one person, not of our own will. But you're giving up just like that? Your teammates are willing to help you, if you'd just reach out to them. Hinata-chan wants to change things for you too, that's why she's striving to be stronger... I am doing the same too."

Neji did not get the chance to say anything as Naruto's fist connected with his jaw and the next thing he knew, his back had hit concrete and was still going. He felt blood ooze from his head and pain screamed in his head, he struggled to stand but he failed to do so. Dimly, the Hyuga heard the proctor proclaiming the Senju winner and the crowd's wild cheers.

He didn't bother looking at them. Only at the bird in the sky, flying forward, unbound, unsealed but _free_.

"Don't let fate rule you, Neji, break free of her bonds."

Naruto gazed down at him kindly, and when Neji squinted, seeing the Senju's silhouette against the sun, he thought he saw the late Yondaime—a man he deeply respected and considered a hero—smiling down at him.

**-felony of himself-**

Sasuke stood by Naruto as they watched the medics carry Neji away on a stretcher. The pale girl had only caught snippets of their conversation but she knew enough that Neji was suffering from hate. She was slightly curious as to why she didn't feel suffering when she felt hate. All she felt when she hated was... salvation, purpose, her reason for living.

Neji and her were different. No one would understand her pain. To kill someone she once looked up to, and loved with all her heart—

Her peers would never understand, they all thought she was a bloodthirsty lunatic. She didn't know how Naruto got to Neji, how he could empathize, she thought it was all a bunch of crap to get the pale-eyed boy to lower his guard down. Sasuke had to commend Naruto's acting skills since he got to Neji like that. But she wouldn't try such shit.

She scoffed at the friendly gesture of helping the Hyuga up. Naruto looked at her curiously when he heard her made that sound of disbelief. He wasn't offended since he received her insults and mocks on a daily basis, and had long since accepted that it was part of her personality.

He grinned at his friend. "Don't worry. I won't help you out." Sasuke frowned at him. "I'll carry you bridal style out!"

"_Dope_."

"You know you like me."

Sasuke was saved from retorting, and was able to hide her blush by jumping down the arena when the proctor barely announced the start of her fight. Genma stared at her. "You're that eager?" he asked curiously which earned him a death glare and a rather adorable blushing face.

"Just get on with it," the Uchiha growled menacingly; oddly, from the stands, the Senju heir laughed, crossing his arms behind his head with a satisfied grin.

"Fine." The proctor glanced at the Suna -nin, frowning at the boy's seemingly pained expression. He wondered if it was safe to let Konoha's prized Uchiha battle an insane psychopath. "Begin," the man said with no amount of enthusiasm.

The Uchiha attacked first, testing the waters as she flicked a few kunai and shuriken at her opponent. Her eyes narrowed, counting the seconds it took for Gaara's sand armor to rise. She wasn't as intimidated anymore by the speed of his sand seeing as Kakashi had forced her to work on speed.

She darted him cautiously, quickly, landing a blow on Gaara's face, faster than his sand could rise to protect him. She'd already determined that her speed surpassed his sand but his sand armor... it would be a tough nut to crack. She smirked, nevertheless. "So that's it?" she said, almost disappointed when cracks appeared in his face and started falling. "I'll tear it all off in no time."

It took her five minutes.

She'd darted in and out, landing lightning quick hits—she'd copied Naruto's earlier use of Shuunshin Jutsu, and was now putting it to good use—and watching with satisfaction as Gaara's so called invincible armor crumbled. There was no words capable of describing her pride and there was no suppressing the smirk.

"That's all?" she taunted, watching as Gaara struggled to look her in the eyes.

It was a foolish thing to do but to Sasuke's surprise, he wasn't influenced by her genjutsu. She doubted it mattered to the guy, even without her help, he already had trouble differentiating reality from illusion; she didn't think he was all that sane. Blinking, the Uchiha went on guard when she saw the fallen sand creeping back to Gaara, forming a cocoon around the boy.

Cautiously, she flickered forward. It was only thanks to her Sharingan that she managed to twist her body out of the way, avoiding the spike of sand from impaling her. Sighing, Sasuke flickered a respectable distance away, gathering chakra as she watched Gaara cautiously.

It was time to prove whether or not Kakashi's training was fruition or a complete waste of time.

The only thing preventing her eyesight from tunneling as she charged forward with such speed was the Sharingan; she could see now why Kakashi had chose to taught her this instead of Naruto or Sakura, their inferior eyes wouldn't handle it. Sasuke blinked a few times, the sound of bird chirping had died down, and she hurriedly pulled her hand back when she saw the sand forming and made a vain attempt at ripping her arm off.

She skidded a few feet back, wary and alarmed all the same when the sand that formed around Gaara turned out to be different from before; if a sand can be menacing or evil, she figured this would be it. Gaara looked her in the eyes with hurt and crazy teal eyes.

"My... blood! It's my blood!" The screech coming from the redhead was inhuman and human all the same; carrying undertones of different voices and sounding very human with the terror lacing the voice. What was this guy?

Sasuke didn't have time to ponder as the white feathers began to fall.

**-felony of himself**-

He formed a single seal, called out, "Kai!"

Naruto blinked, surprised that it had actually worked but then again, Ero-sennin had spent extra time training him in dispelling genjutsu and casting them. He only knew some genjutsu based off the Mokuton though, he still wasn't quite a master in that.

He scanned the arena, he'd expected Sasuke to be fighting but when he came to, all he saw was unconscious ninjas and civilians alike. He blinked when he saw Sasuke by the unconscious proctor's side. He wondered if this was a second-layered genjutsu and pinched himself. When the pain registered, he rushed towards her. "What happened?"

"Genjutsu..." answered Sasuke, eyes hard as she abandoned the proctor's side and stood. "Our match's been postponed, it seems. I recognize this: **Nehan Shōja no Jutsu**. It is a powerful genjutsu that generates a fluttering rain of sleep-inducing, illusory white feathers. Whomever sees them as they fall, piling up and covering the whole target area, will experience Eden-like bliss and fall into a state of tranquil slumber. No matter how much one resists the hypnotic spell, the desire to sleep is instinctive, and there's no fighting it. However, an experienced shinobi will be able to dispel the genjutsu before it takes effect." The Uchiha leveled him a slightly impressed look. "You did not bad."

"What—Move!"

Following that single word was chaos.

Naruto and Sasuke skidded backwards from where their would-be assailant landed. He spotted the familiar and much detested Oto symbol. He picked up some of his fallen Hiraishin Kunais, no point letting his enemies get their hands on it right? He'd be screwed if they really took it with them.

Fortunately, Sasuke covered him. She met the Oto-nins in battle, easily slitting the throat of one ninja and crushing the guy's windpipe with a chakra empowered kick while Naruto scrambled to gather his kunais. He was about to call for his teammate's name when an unearthly howl, screech tore through the air.

It sent a shiver down his spine. What...? His electric blue eyes scoured the area until it landed on the person he supposed was Gaara. He gape in horror, half of Gaara had already been disembodied into sand, demonic yellow slits glare out at him and Sasuke.

The demon, Shukaku who seems to be in control was mumbling something incoherently. The rage in the demon's eyes was unmistakable when it landed on him and Sasuke who shared an uncertain glance with one another.

"Did anything to him?"

"No. Never even met him before."

"...-ma." Naruto blinked, was the demon calling for his _mama_? He was a mama's boy, he knew but even he wouldn't be calling for his mother in battle; he would've laughed if the Killer Intent in the air wasn't so potent and real. He was about to yell for Sasuke to flee and find their friends when the demon's roar finally became coherent. "_Hashirama_!"

"I don't understand," whispered Naruto, paling rapidly as the demon roared in his face. "How does he know my great-grandfather? Gaara can't be that old."

"Not Gaara. It's his demon. Only you and your great-grandfather have attained Mokuton, which makes your chakra signature eerily similar. It's probably mistaking you as him," said Sasuke blandly, Naruto wondered how could she be so damn calm in such a situation, with carnage, war and destruction going on around her; unnerving how she looked so at home in a battlefield. "Remember how the Shodai caught all the Bijuus? He practically cursed them to an eternity of imprisonment. You're dead."

She sounded amused, if the ghost of a smile on her face was any indication.

He glared at his love interest; it was not funny, no matter how endearing her smile of amusement was. "Come on!" he yelled, grabbing her hand, the other hand hurling kunai at where he knew their friends were, and teleporting there in an instant.

Sasuke regarded him curiously. "That technique..."

He wondered if he should tell about his true parentage; he felt a flicker of doubt, she wouldn't change her opinion of him right? "It's my dad's signature jutsu," he said, watching as her eyes widen but other than that, she showed no other emotion. "and it's been created by my clan anyway."

Sasuke hummed, a non-committal sound as she crouched and dispelled the chakra on their peers. "Wake up!" Naruto yelled as he did the same, though with less grace and efficiency Sasuke did. Naruto glanced around desperately, noting that the civvies were asleep which was good. It would do them no good if the civvies panicked and got in the way; protecting was one thing, but protecting others and attacking was a whole new level.

Naruto also spotted Konoha-nins engaging the Oto-nins and Sound-nins. He wondered if Konoha can withstand the invasion. "Kakashi-sensei!" he called, noticing a particular silver-haired man. Very familiar and welcomed. His teacher landed before him, his eyes widening in surprise for a moment before he schooled his features and warily assessed the situation.

"Where's Sasuke?"

"She—" Ino broke off into a cough, rubbing her sore throat, squinting up at her allies before saying, "She went after that red-headed monster. That sand thing! What is it? Sasuke ran after it!"

Naruto's blood went cold. "I have to—"

"You're right," said Kakashi-sensei. He gazed at them all. "Go to Sasuke, be her backup. Leave things here to us, come back as soon as you can but subdue the Jinchuuriki! Remember, this is a mission; prevent Gaara from unleashing the Bijuu here, in Konoha! Take whoever you want, but limit yourselves to the Genin, we don't have enough ninjas to spare."

Naruto winced slightly at the idea of fighting a fellow Jinchuuriki but if he wanted his village to stand, he had to go. He glanced at his comrades, all of them could be useful but Hinata-chan was injured, some came as spectators and had no equipment, they didn't expect a fight. Some had already fought. But they'd have to do, when facing against a Jinchuuriki and its guardians, they need as many numbers as they can. "Come on!" He shot off first, cursing himself for not placing a seal on Sasuke in the first place. He hadn't quite mastered the part of touch-and-seal yet.

As his friends caught up, he distributed the Hiraishin Kunais, each one as he explained that if they needed him, just throw it somewhere he can land once he teleported there. He could practically feel their curiosity and maybe he heard some brain gears whirling and fitting the puzzle pieces. Shikamaru had definitely figured something out, he just hoped that his friends wouldn't suddenly change their attitude towards him or something just because he was the Yondaime's son.

He cleared his throat awkwardly, keeping his eyes in the front. "You can ask me anything... that's if, if you want to."

Ino opened her mouth to say something but Shikamaru interrupted her. "You have a lot to answer, once we get back of course."

Tenten—the only member of Team Gai capable of assisting them at the moment since Neji was out and Lee was physically unfit—winked. "For now, we have to save your girlfriend from the enemy!"

"The other way around, Sasuke'd kick their ass!" corrected Naruto. "and she's not my girlfriend." He blushed slightly at the prospect even though the girl definitely wasn't someone who would like being labeled like that.

Sakura smiled painfully. "Haven't propose to her yet?"

"A-a-aren't you a-all t-too y-young for t-that?"

"She'll kill me," responded Naruto blandly, honestly, eliciting a small smile from the Hyuga girl.

Shikamaru sighed, shaking his head. "Women are like that, troublesome. My mom's like that too." His eyes cut to Naruto. "Ain't your mom like that too?"

The Senju grimaced, he knew how Shikamaru felt. But now was not the time. "Come on guys, put your backs into it!"

"We need a strategy," argued Sakura, who was ill at ease with the idea of charging their enemy head on without some sort of plan. Instinctively, Ino glanced towards Shikamaru who was undoubtedly the smartest among them.

The Nara frowned. "There's that fan girl and puppet guy with our Jinchuuriki, troublesome bunch, but nothing we can't handle," he grumbled and when he said that last part, it was with a matter-of-fact tone; it made his friends smile despite the situation. "With the Mokuton that can subdue the Bijuus, Naruto will take Gaara on. Puppet Boy... Shino can suck the guy's chakra up, Hinata can disable the chakra strings. Fan Girl... Choji and Tenten, one of you distract and the other take her down. The rest of us will take Gaara. When you're done with your battle, do assist the others," Shikamaru grimaced. "especially us, I don't think we'll defeat Gaara that easily."

Sakura gulped, realizing that she was unlisted, which meant that she, Shikamaru, Kiba and Naruto would be going against Gaara. She flinched when she realized that she was probably the weakest and would be a hindrance. Why didn't Shikamaru point that out?

"Everyone understand what he said?" called Naruto after a beat. When they all chorused a positive, albeit hesitant, positives, the blonde boy nodded grimly. "They're close."

Naruto skidded to a halt on the tree branch, not leaving his perch on the tree even when the others landed on the clearing. Temari was their first challenge, her grim determination turned into momentary panic when she saw the numbers. Naruto's acute hearing caught her murmured cuss as she readied her fan.

"You're not passing."

Naruto frowned, snapping his fingers. The trees moved, branches elongating and snapping at Temari, threatening to disembowel her if she didn't surrender. The Suna Genin glanced around nervously, cursing herself for choosing to bring her brothers into the woods. She didn't take into account for Naruto, she'd forgotten all about that guy and his stupid wood-wielding abilities! If anything happened to her boys, she knew she'd be responsible and the thought of stupid Kankuro and even crazy Gaara _hurt_... her heart simply _burned_.

Naruto raised his hands, the branches followed, merging with one another and eventually formed a fist. With speed that Sakura didn't know it possessed, it lunged at Temari. But she doubted it'd work, unless they helped Naruto to restrain Temari or distract her.

Tenten seemed to share the same idea as she launched her scroll into the air, the scroll forming a graceful bow arc above Temari before it rained weapons down.

The rest of the Konoha-nins didn't even have to do anything as Naruto caught a distracted Temari. He glanced at her uncertainly, then at Shikamaru. Apparently, he was the unspoken mission leader. The Nara sighed when he saw the expectant looks on his friends' faces.

"Change of plans. We take them with us."

"I do not think it will be of use at all, if you're thinking along the same lines as I," inserted Shino calmly as he adjusted his glasses. "Why? Because Gaara simply is not the type to care about the well-being of others."

"I agree," added Ino in a rare moment of seriousness. "From what I can grasp of his personality, he totally wouldn't care even if we threaten him with Temari's life on the line."

"You must know of a way to subdue your psychopathic brother," said Shikamaru, brows creased into a thoughtful frown as he gazed at Temari's squirming form. "tell us what you know and we won't kill you."

Temari sneered. "You think—" she choked, a gasp escaping her parted lips as the wooden fist tightened with a noisy creak. "I don't know!" yelled Temari desperately. "The only one who can stop him is our father."

"The Kazekage," supplied Sakura. "who initiated this attack. He won't help."

"Besides, he's fighting his own battle. He challenged the Hokage, remember?" Tenten rubbed her chin as she looked at the girl who caused her failure to advance into the finals. She didn't hold a grudge against her, it was just Tenten's bad luck that she was matched up against her and it was not fault of theirs when Temari needed to exude power for her village. "She'll be a hindrance if we free her now," the brunette added thoughtfully. "I propose we knock her out and then Naruto-kun can cage her, weaponless since we'll be taking the fan, right?"

"Sure. But not here, too close to Konoha, what if her allies come and free her?"

"Just bring her along for now."

The group resumed their gruesome pace without another word, occasionally glancing back to make sure their prisoner hadn't escape, and tuning out the blonde girl's curses of Konoha and its ninjas.

Shikamaru ignored her expertly, silently wondering how much longer before they reach their target; he was no sensor nin, so he couldn't actually tell a person's position from chakra alone. He only had time to wonder before something flew past them, and crashed into a nearby tree, on fire.

"**Mokuton: Jubaku Eisō**."

Naruto made a few motions and the tree encased itself, closing in and forming a palm that held out the body of Temari's brother. His brows and visible skin were torched, and he was unconscious, which meant that Sasuke had probably taught him a good lesson. When he registered that, the Senju smirked, clenching his fist and the tree obeyed, crushing the boy's unconscious form and devouring him.

Temari screamed. "Kankuro, no!"

"Calm down," said Naruto, rolling his blue eyes at the dramatic flair. He made a sweeping motion with his hand and Temari found herself encased in a tree. Only her neck and head were free, her body however, she couldn't feel but she knew she was trapped either way. "A good prison, eh? Can't move a single muscle below her neck, strain too much and she'll suffocate and without handseals, no jutsus."

The way Naruto delivered the statement, in a cheery sing-song way sent a chill shooting down Ino's spine. He was dangerous despite his goofy and happy-go-lucky nature and wouldn't hesitate to kill. Ino glanced down at her hands, when she blinked, she thought she saw the ugly crimson liquid on her hands. She had been able to escape the genjutsu earlier than the rest, she'd woken to see an Sand-nin raising a kunai above their heads.

She reacted instantly of course. A flick, quick twist and turn of her wrist and he was down. She had been stunned at how easy and effortless it was. She'd always imagine, to kill someone, you need to struggle with the right and wrong and the consequences of what you're about to do. But it had been far too easy for her, there was nothing else to analyze when the enemy nin was dead.

Just a movement and he was dead. Ino felt fear and dread rising but it wasn't because of the unpleasantness of taking another's life, but the thought of, _what if the ninja had someone willing to avenge him? What if this new guy was stronger? What if she died_? It hit her how utterly selfish, how cruel of her to only think about herself and not what the Oto-nins and Sand-nins were fighting for.

She had laid back down, tried to block everything out. It wasn't until Sasuke's chakra hit her full force did she jerk into a sitting position, then the fact that she was a fool for lowering her guard in a battlefield. She'd been embarrassed but fortunately, Sasuke didn't question her despite the strange glance.

Sasuke's kunai had been bloodied, she'd killed too but she hadn't seem as effected as Ino was. The Yamanaka wondered, was she the only one reacting like this?

"—no, Ino!" A hand clasped her shoulder and started shaking her out of her reverie. She blinked, blue eyes and blonde hair, all shades darker than her own came into view. "Are you okay?" Naruto asked, concerned. "We really need to move on, the rest are ahead of us already."

"Let's talk on the way." When Naruto caught up to her, glancing at her curiously, she cleared her throat and spoke, "I killed someone, in the arena."

"So?"

"_So_?" repeated Ino, baffled, unable to comprehend why he was so accepting of it. "What do you mean by 'so'? I'm being serious here, I killed—you know what that means? Murder, take someone's life away, that guy will never walk, breathe or laugh ever again, never do anything we do and I am the cause! His family must've needed him to feed them, who'd work to put food on the table for them? His family and friends will mourn and it's all my fault—"

"Ino! Ino, calm down! Breathe, okay?" Naruto's eyes were sincerely concerned even though she'd been quite annoying to him, and they barely know one another. "You're hyperventilating. It's going to be okay."

"It's not! And now, we're probably going to die at Gaara's hand! Why did they have to start a war—?!"

"Ino." The sheer force he said her name made her stop, looking up at him uncertainly. Naruto's eyes softened into something akin to sadness, his eyes gaining some sort of age-old anguish as if he'd seen the world's end itself. "Both sides in the war are of the same breed, after all… motives for war are of no concern. Religion, ideology, resources, land, grudges, love, or just because… No matter how pathetic the reason, it's enough to start a war. War will never cease to exist… Reasons can be thought up after the act. Human nature pursues strife.

"It's good to know that you can feel pain, that you felt pain for the man you killed. I killed people too. Not just someone. If you don't share someone's pain, you can never understand them. But just because you understand them doesn't mean you can come to an agreement. That's the truth. If, through pain, we could've come to an agreement, we wouldn't be in this stupid war."

"That guy... he must have friends who'd hunt me down for their fallen comrade," said Ino sadly, slightly scared.

"This is inevitable... Love breeds sacrifice… which breeds hatred… We are both but humans, driven to seek vengeance under the banner of justice. However… if there is justice in vengeance, then justice will breed only more vengeance… thus forging more links in a chain of hatred.

"I believe this is what it means to be a ninja; we embody this never-ending chain of hatred and love. Our enemies and us are no different. We each act according to our own sense of justice. The justice we have meted out against them is no different than what they are trying to mete out against us."

The blonde girl blinked, staring at her blonde counterpart in a new light. She'd never known that he was such a deep guy. He always had a simple-minded goal in mind, smile cheerily and didn't seem to take things seriously and was quite the klutz if what Sakura and Sasuke complained about were right. She'd never known he was hiding these thoughts, what his opinions about his profession were. Suddenly, she felt as if she'd known him her whole life, not just a simple crush she'd made up for attention.

Her heart thumped. Damn, if he keep this sort of attitude up, she might just end up falling for him.

"H-how did you cope?"

"I'm trying to protect people, my precious people. What's so wrong about that?"

And with that simple sentence, Ino's whole world cleared.

**-felony of himself-**

While Ino's world cleared, what followed was a sand wave, the small peppery particles stung Ino's eyes. The Yamanaka winced, raising her hands to cover her eyes. A familiar scream of pain tore through the air. _Sakura_! Ino tried to head towards the source of the sound but it was already taking her everything to stay where she was.

"Hold on!" The ground rumbled, nearly throwing Ino off balanced before Naruto's voice called out, "**Mokuton: Jukai Hek**i!" And right before Ino's very eyes, branches sprouted from the ground, interlacing one another, forming a rather impressive shield.

Naruto grinned, flashing her a thumbs-up. "All good." A screech of rage echoed throughout the now sand-covered forest. Naruto sighed. "Maybe not. Come up with a plan! I'll go get Sakura and Sasuke!"

Naruto didn't wait for an answer before he darted away, the sand raining down and just everywhere, hitting and sweeping the trees away. The Senju heard his friends' cries and shrieks but that was okay, screaming meant that they're okay. But ever since Sakura's scream, she was silent and he was starting to grow concerned; worse, he hadn't seen hide or hair of Sasuke, his heart practically lurched at the thought that she might be already—

"Oi, up here, Senju!"

"Naruto-kun!"

He glanced up and instantly, all his worries washed away at the sight of his teammates. "Girls!" he called as he leaped up to join them on the branch. "What's wrong?" he asked, regardless of the rampaging Shukaku behind them. Somewhere along the lines, Gaara had already been lost within the monster.

Had Naruto not known earlier, he'd never think the rampaging monster had a Jinchuuriki.

Then he glanced down at Sakura, her body encased by sand and he understood immediately. "Don't worry," said Naruto, grinning reassuringly, as he snapped his fingers. The tree Sakura was chained to detached itself, pulling backwards. Forming a handseals, Naruto spat out a water jutsu onto the sand, watching as it slid off in wet chunks. "Better?" he offered the pink-haired girl a hand which she gladly took, she blushed in pleasure but then darted a cautious glance at her raven-haired teammate.

Sasuke wasn't even looking at them, instead her eyes were on Shukaku. "I Chidori'ed the shit a few times now. And it did _nothing_."

Naruto clasped his hands together, closing his eyes and mustering all the chakra he could muster for the following jutsu to be successful. "**Mokuton: Hotei no Jutsu**!"

The ground reverberated, giants wooden hands, almost as large as Shukaku rose and clawed at the monster. Sasuke's Sharingan spun but she grudgingly accepted that she wouldn't be able to use that technique as even her famed bloodline couldn't copy another bloodline.

"You planning on killing Gaara?"

Naruto flinched at the mere thought. He had no problem killing others, just maybe a little sorry for that guy, but killing a fellow Jinchuuriki was a whole new matter. Seeing his hesitance, Sasuke sighed. "I know you'd feel sorry for that nutso," she grumbled, crossing her arms but she didn't seem to pissed off or surprised. "He's there, I see him, asleep. Wake him up, and just maybe, he'll be able to reign control."

"Very reassuring," remarked Naruto dryly. "and how, do you propose I get there?"

Sasuke shot him a disparaging look which he allowed to slid past with a grunt of displeasure.

"Can't you make a bridge?"

He could. And in no time at all, he'd already located his friends and had placed them on a branch, flowing and stretching towards the Bijuu. "Okay, what now?" he demanded as the wind and sand threatened to knock him off board, if it wasn't for the chakra pooled beneath the soles of his feet, he was sure to be flying back to Konoha now.

"The Mokuton has the ability to restrain Bijuus. Knock him out." Sasuke glanced down at him, cocking an eyebrow. "Can you do that at least?"

Naruto scowled. "Yes, of course." He clasped his hands together again, his cheeks flushing a little as he thought of how silly the following jutsu's name was. "Whatever I say next, please don't laugh."

"Sure."

"Whatever."

That was not reassuring at all, Naruto thought glumly before he realized something. "I think I need to be in direct contact with Gaara for this to work."

"We can't get any closer," snapped Sasuke but when the blonde pouted, she sighed. "Fine, we'll hurl you there."

"What?!"

"Get ready!"

Before the Senju could protest, Sasuke shoved him off the tree. He yelped, barely able to gather his chakra to stay where he was but Sasuke used the momentum, pulled, and the next thing he knew, he was flying through the air. Sakura's "Oops" at Sasuke's wrong aim was heard even though the wind was peeling off his face.

Naruto panicked for a moment before he recalled that the Hiraishin Kunais were actually of use. Fumbling for it, he squinted and threw. It was hard to make things out with the wind trying to blind him, blowing sand into his eyes but he managed to see the kunai connecting momentarily with Shukaku's hand and that was when he teleported.

He stumbled, dizzy when he felt the surface he was on swirled into itself. Wasting not a moment, he gathered chakra to his feet and made his way up, to where Gaara's half sunk body was. He felt pity at the faulty seal forced upon the boy, knowing that this was none of Gaara's fault yet he was the one to endure it all. He blinked away the emotional tears when he recalled that his friends were nearby, he couldn't afford to hesitate against one who would threaten them, even if they were somewhat kin.

"**Hokage-Shiki Jijun Jutsu — Kakuan Nitten Suishu**!"

Naruto couldn't see it, but he could feel the kanji for "sit" burned into his hand by chakra as he slammed it into Gaara's chest. Pillars of wood erupted around them, odd spear like things shot off, aimed at Gaara and it struck home. But when Shukaku remained beneath his feet, Naruto panicked, worried that his jutsu was an utter failure (this was his first time using it!) when Shukaku roared and crumbled in a rain of sand.

The next thing Naruto knew, he was tumbling from the sky. He tried to command the trees to help but his chakra source had been depleted and he was simply exhausted.

"Gaara..." he stretched out his hand, trying to reach the older boy who was screaming in terror and pain. "Don't... listen to Shukaku... he's no mother of yours." Instead of responding, Gaara stopped screaming and stared at him as if he was some sort of creature from outer space. "I could never understand how you feel. I've never, ever felt isolation because my mom took me away from such life. I'm sorry you had to go through such things... but... you really have to let them go... start accepting understanding and helping... the people... around... you..."

Naruto's eyelids drooped as he tumbled head-first down.

Gaara's sand cushioned his fall, he laid there, breathing harshly, eyes wide as Naruto's body continued to fall with nothing there to support him. He felt the irrationally instinctively urge to reach out and help cushion his fall but he was so confused by the sudden turn of events that he couldn't even move a muscle.

A shadow leapt over Gaara's view, silhouetted against the sun, but even then, he could see the clear crimson glow of the Sharingan which spared him only a brief glance before the wielder of the powerful eyes caught Naruto before he impacted the ground.

"Naruto. Naruto, wake up. Damn it, usuratonkachi!"

Gaara watched, baffled by human interaction as the Uchiha—who clearly cared about the boy—punched him in the cheek. It only served to further cement Gaara's view that pain was how you show someone your love. Should he punch Temari, Kankuro and his father too then? He should try that.

"Don't worry us like that, man you are troublesome for a friend."

"N-Naruto-kun, i-it's n-not a-advisable t-t-to throw yourself i-into t-thin a-air..."

"I didn't!" the blonde Senju exploded, pointing an accusing finger at the Uchiha. "She threw me off."

"You survived, didn't you, die-hard?" Sasuke snorted softly, standing and turning away, her shoulders relaxing considerably but she still looked mad. "Hmph. Even dying is too hard for you to accomplish it seems." Her tone softened. "That's okay. It's the only failure I can accept from you."

Sakura wondered if this was Sasuke's demented version of _I'm so fucking glad you're okay, please don't do that again_. Naruto's rage slid off as he sprang to his feet and wrapped his arms around her, grinning cheekily, "Glad to hear you're worried!" before Sasuke elbowed him, sending him sprawling back to the ground.

Sasuke glared down at him but her Sharingan was off, which pretty much meant that she was okay with the situation now. "You're no different from your perverted teacher. Try that again and I'll cut your arms off."

"Flirt later," interrupted a bruised Tenten as she jabbed a thumb at two trees holding familiar wide-eyed captives. "what about them?"

Ino blinked. "How did they get here?"

"O-our battle b-blew u-us this f-far."

Kiba, equally bruised and dirtied, whistled appreciatively, cradling Akamaru in his arms. "Cool. What do we do with them now anyways?" He hesitated once, almost shyly, asking, "Are we going to execute them or something?"

It was strange for Kiba to be this shy, but then again it was strange for Ino to be so crazy about something. Life and death, this matter bothered Kiba greatly who had yet to make his first kill. Ino glanced at him with sympathy, wondering how he'd deal with it. Among them, she knew that Sasuke, Naruto and her were the only ones ready to take lives again and had, most likely in Sasuke's case, killed.

"That would be wise," said Shino, breaking through the silence and rustles of the trees. "Why? Because then we wouldn't have to worry about facing down a Jinchuuriki again." His grey eyes showed momentarily when he glanced at naruto. "Even though we are predisposed to handling them. We have to be prepared for times where Naruto-san wouldn't be here to subdue the Bijuus."

Naruto flinched at the thought of putting down a fellow Jinchuuriki. He knew the vessels were all in different villages and there might be a day he would cross paths with them as enemies, they had duties to their own villages, they couldn't let something like kinship get in the way. This sort of attitude will get him killed someday, Naruto knew since his mother and Ero-sennin had repeated this countless times. _Show no mercy, even to those like you_.

Ino's glacier eyes met his from where she stood by her teammates. "They could be useful, for information gathering," she said thoughtfully.

"Right, they'd die in there anyway," said Kiba dryly. "We all know that no one leaves T&I alive, whether they spill their guts or not."

Temari and Kankuro flinched. "Please," the fan-wielder pleaded. "let us go. We swear we won't do anything. We'll head straight back to our village, regardless of superior's orders, we won't harm your village again!"

The proud Uchiha snorted. "What makes you think," she drawled almost lazily, dangerously sensual. "there will be a next time once we're done with your forces? Konoha has both quality and quantity. Oto and Suna are very small in comparison."

"Sasuke," admonished Naruto to which she scowled and offered a few vulgar vocabulary. "We'll... uh..." he glanced at his friends, the silent _what should we do_ hung in the air.

"Please, I'm begging you, I'll - I'll do whatever you want me to." Temari's teal eyes, so similar to her brother Gaara's, shone, begging for pity from her captors. She saw no emotion on their faces except the cold disdain of the Uchiha and the hesitance of the Senju, whom she immediately turned to. "Please, just let my brothers go, I'll stay."

"See, Gaara? She's begging for your life as well, she cares for you." Temari glanced back at Gaara who stared back at her as if he was seeing her for the first time, stunned, confused but there seemed to be the tiniest shred of happiness, joy at finally being cared for and truly accepted.

"Oh please don't tell me you're going to let them go," growled Sasuke, pissed.

"I—I think we should let them go, everyone deserves another chance," said Choji shyly, speaking up for the first time since the discussion first started.

Temari nodded eagerly. "We don't actually know anything, we just followed orders."

Sasuke leveled the older girl a scathing look. "Of course genins don't know anything, and of course you follow orders. If every shinobi crossed paths with one another, forced to fight and gave the reason they're just following their orders and then it would be water under the bridge, there would be no fighting then. _We_ wouldn't be fighting." The silent, mean, _how stupid can you be?_ hung in the air; the message was clear in Sasuke's disdainful voice.

Naruto sighed, sensing Sasuke's anger and she was close to exploding, she didn't trust them and she wanted them out. He snapped his fingers, freeing Temari and Kankuro from their tree prison, whom upon their new found freedom, rushed to Gaara, supporting him and helping him rise to his feet.

Sasuke's eyes drilled holes into him.

"Go back to your village, don't threaten ours again. We won't let you off so easily next time."

**-felony of himself-**

When the Sand Siblings had left, Sasuke whirled on him. He held up his hands before she could explode. "Look, I know you're mad we let them go, and I know the risks we're taking," he said, rushing on before she had a chance to say anything. "but I assure you, I know what I'm doing."

"The fact that you're stepping on one of my wire traps?"

Yelping, Naruto jerked back just as the trees next to him exploded, sending a severe headache up his head. "Ouch." He massaged the pain in his head, snapping his fingers and the trees slowly regrew, the pain easing somewhat with that gesture. "There's a reason why I feel so sorry for Gaara."

"And that is?"

"I'm just like him." Sasuke stopped, staring at him, stunned. "Not hosting the Shukaku of course. I'm hosting the Kyuubi, you know, the fox with nine-tails that attacked Konoha thirteen years ago? I was born on the Kyuubi Festival. The villagers thought it the dead, not sealed away—please don't—"

"I'm not going to treat you any differently, usuratonkachi," grumbled Sasuke, knowing where he was going even before he'd finish speaking. "You're still a hopeless case, dope. So merciful, someday, they'd come and bite you in the ass."

Naruto felt the weight in his chest lifted a little bit when she huffed. He felt like kissing her again, even a small peck to show his gratitude but he knew she'd probably send him flying and while he was recuperating at an alarming rate, that did not mean he was at full strength yet. "Say... aren't we forgetting something?"

"What?"

"Guys!" Naruto and Sasuke turned to see Kiba, panicked and pointing in the direction of Konoha. "The village is still under attack!"

The clan heirs only traded glances before the rushed off, towards their friends, all perched on top of tall trees to see. Hinata's byakugan reported severe collateral damage but beyond that, she could see no more.

Grimly, Naruto said, "You guys go as fast as you can. I'll Hiraishin straight to them."

"Without a catalyst?" asked Shikamaru, eyeing the kunai in his hand.

"Er... well, the Hokage has one for emergencies, Ero-senning and Kakashi-sensei had them too. I'll try reaching Kakashi-sensei." Closing his eyes, Naruto concentrated, pouring his chakra into the seal on the kunai but he only had time to realize that he was didn't know how to chose which location he wanted, before he found himself landing on his ass.

"Ow!"

"Naruto...? What are you doing here? This is dangerous, you shouldn't be here!"

Naruto blinked, dazed, when he saw the Sandaime and Ero-senning fighting for their life, against Orochimaru-teme and two familiar but dead people.

"Uh... can I go home?"

**To be continued...**

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**Author's Note: **Quite the crappy ending but I try. As usual, review?

Heh, can anyone guess who taught Naruto what he said to Ino? I'm not lying, there really is a reason behind his speech.


	9. Invasion of Konoha Part II

**Author's Note: **Someone asked if I would be following canon to the Fourth Shinobi War. Well, the answer is no, I wouldn't be following canon's Moon Eye Plan or whatever it is called. In my opinion, it's too far-fetched and I couldn't bring myself to write such. Also, no, Madara won't be the mastermind behind this, at least so far no. He will be dead, no more rising from the dead and bearing the Rinnegan stuff.

To be noted that Itachi is one of my favorite characters, along with all the Uchihas, and I was wondering will people support if I let him live...? I am also tempted to kill him, fitting this story into my favorite category - angst+tragedy (who could resist?).

Oh, and the theory of Hiraishin I have here, is merely what I was able to speculate, my own theory. I presume you might already have your own theory, but this is mine (and the theory in this AU) so don't come complaining or if you want to debate about it, feel free to PM me or leave a review concerning it (I'll try my best to answer).

Anyways, read and review!

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**Felo de Se**

**Chapter Nine: Invasion of Konoha Part Two **

Sasuke cursed her blonde dumbass teammate with every vulgar vocabulary she knew of. Her older cousin, Shisui, had taught her most of it, spouted it when he thought she wasn't listening. Only years later did she realize that whatever he said was not meant for her ears.

Back to problem at hand, Sasuke was still cursing the idiot's heroism attitude. Nuts, he shouldn't charge back to Konoha, leaving them with no communication with their village and the teleporting kunai was useless with no guide (not one of the remaining Genins know how to use it). It still bothered her too, about the Hiraishin Kunai.

Naruto was the Yondaime's son?

Sasuke had seen very little of the Fourth—who also had the shortest reign as Hokage, a pity really—but she dimly recall that he had unruly blonde spikes and blue eyes and also did stupid heroic stunts as well. Her father had been in the Yondaime's class, and her mother was his teammate, along with this Uzumaki Kushina, their teacher had been Jiraiya the Sannin.

But even her parents had spoken scarcely of him, constantly exchanging strange nervous glances whenever she asked for more info as she had a history lesson to attend to. Naruto had the same looks and attributes, he was strong, Sasuke grudgingly admitted so the chances of Yondaime and Naruto being father and son wasn't too far-fetched after all.

How did she feel? Impressed, shocked, jealous, yes, all rolled in one.

Then Naruto drop the bomb by saying he was like Gaara, except the thing he was hosting was far stronger than Gaara. Sasuke was flat-out jealous and mad at the unfairness of it all. With the Kyuubi, he was given a straight power-boost and coupled with the fact he was raised by all famed and powerful ninjas? He was stronger than her, whether she liked it or not, and she couldn't accept that. She'd always liked to think that they were on equal grounds, or that he was below her, that they were only an arm's length away from one another.

To know that he was so powerful...

Her inferiority complex kicked in which left her in a severely bad mood._ Why_, her mind screamed, enraged. _Why am I so damn, fucking weak?! What do I have to do to get stronger?! I suffered, I knew pain that Senju hadn't suffered from before so why_—

_why am I always the one left behind?_

Yet, here she was, racing top speed back to Konoha to save the guy she was currently pissed at. Whenever she thought she had Naruto figured out, he always surprised her and she hated getting the unexpected—where she expected him to be angry, he smiled; when he was supposed to just let it slide, he got mad.

She hated getting taken off guard. Most likely stemmed from the fact that Itachi, who she thought she knew inside out, did the surprising, maddeningly insanely shocking thing and—

_Stop, concentrate on your task at hand_, her mind chided her, trying to stave away the painfully bloody image.

To distract herself, Sasuke studied the Hiraishin Kunai in her hands, a scowl creasing her brows as she wondered how to activate it. It looked and sounded easy to use. Just throw and she'd be there. What was she suppose to do? Throw it into the sky and hope it land somewhere close to Konoha? Ridiculous. She wanted the damn kunai to bring her straight to another kunai holder, how does one does that?

Sasuke examined the seal with Sharingan, a very pointless act as her knowledge of fuinjutsu was close to zero. She knew nothing beside the usual seal, which involves sealing items into scrolls. But, from what she could deduce from what Naruto said ("As long as that somewhere has a seal, I can get there."), the Hiraishin sounded completely... double-edged. And that was putting it nicely. She didn't claim to be an expert but she could already see the flaws.

If the special kunai ran out or was destroyed, then what of the technique? She didn't create the Hiraishin, didn't spend days and sleepless nights creating it so she couldn't actually claim the technique was double-edged. She surmised that the Hiraishin was a teleporting jutsu, the key was the seal. The tags on the kunai.

Naruto slapped a tag on his enemy and was able to teleport there. There was a drawback, and it made Sasuke (though she would never admit it) worried. If Naruto was disoriented after he teleported, unsure of his surroundings as he could teleport everywhere (even places he'd never been to before), and couldn't immediately use it after, wouldn't he exposed if he was outnumbered? Or, if the opponent was hopelessly stronger and faster?

Another fact bothered her: the technique was too tag-reliant. If she ripped it off, Naruto wouldn't have been able to teleport to here. So, basically, if he lost his current kunai, he was absolutely helpless and unable to teleport anymore?

The tag had the kanji for summon. Did this mean that the Hiraishin was nothing but a Kuchiyose jutsu? Sasuke inspected the tag, placed her finger on it and felt it thrum with chakra. Naruto's chakra. He'd charged it up before hand, and from what she could detect, the damn thing required a lot of chakra. The tag was to make up for it, she realized, the chakra needed to perform the technique and rip space open.

But, Naruto was the Kyuubi-container, had an amount of chakra so absurd it was impossible, why would he need the tag? If he knew the handseals needed for the technique, he could teleport anywhere without relying on the kunai!

The creator probably used the tag just because he didn't have enough chakra to teleport himself. But Naruto had more than enough.

Did the dope realize that?

Considering that idiot, she doubted it. Her heart clenched. If he knew, he'd just get that much stronger. How was she to compete with a shinobi who could appear behind you in the blink of an eye?

She analyzed the Hiraishin (or what she knew of the technique anyway) critically, scrapping for a weak point. She came across one: if she simply became faster, she would still be able to defeat Naruto.

The Hiraishin was not a speed-technique. It was the summoning sort, and if the opponent had the Byakugan (which could see the chakra flow) or the Sharingan (though not as efficient at seeing chakra flows, she knew it would suffice) and could see where he'd teleport to, they would be able to get away with superior speed. And that is to say, they were fats enough, if Naruto was still faster though, his opponents were screwed.

And if he still insisted on using tags (no way was she telling the dope about her breakthrough), she could just place another 'disable' seal on the seal, rip it off if it was a tag or become fast enough to stop him once he teleported.

There was nothing to be worried about. The Hiraishin wasn't flawless and unstoppable. With the special kunais, Naruto would have to rely on how fast and far they would go. If they didn't hit its intended target, he wouldn't get there, the same applies for the place-and-seal. She had nothing to worry about but improving her speed.

Confidence flowed through her again. She could—

"Guys, we're here!" It was unnecessary for Kiba to shout it out but for Sasuke who had been distracted, she thought it was useful and later, pointless as the sounds of battle were still going on. "We've got to lend a hand!"

"Jump right into danger?" Choji squeaked, terror and nervousness in his eyes, he wiped his sweaty palms on his shirt as the walls within Konoha shook with the sheer force of battle. "Should we?"

Sasuke's lips curled at the blatant display of cowardliness.

"If we join the fight, we will be faced with the threat of killing people and getting killed," started Ino abruptly, her fists clenched by her side as determination burned in her eyes. Her new found bravery surprised Sasuke a little but the Uchiha didn't comment on it, merely silent and watching. "we'll watch as our comrades fall and die regardless of how hard we fight, if any of you are prepared to face all that, we can all join."

"Rather inspiring," remarked Shino calmly. "I'm in."

"Troublesome," grumbled Shikamaru, shoving his hands into his pocket. "but this is our village after all."

"I-I'm ready to d-do a-anything to protect my home!"

Sakura stared at her ex-friend, stunned, when had Ino mature? She swallowed, she wouldn't let her rival in everything get ahead of her. "I'm ready too!"

"Anything for the village, we'll show those bastards that we Inuzukas don't back down when our territory are threatened!" A bark followed in encouragement and agreement.

Tenten mustered a shaky smile. "It won't be my first time seeing blood spilled."

Eventually, everyone's eyes riveted to Choji who stood, trembling. The Akimichi heir had been brief about this, had been reminded countless times that Konoha was perpetually under the threat of attack and might fall someday. He was told to fight, trained to do so, in order to protect his village, and he'd listened, vowed to the night he was crowned heir. But when reality faced him, he found it hard to actually... do it.

He swallowed. "I... I—"

"We have no time to lose," interrupted Sasuke, looking mildly disgusted. It was cruel to do so to such an innocent boy who still hold on to his childhoos innocence and dreams, but she wasn't ready to lose everything for one loser's hesitance. "You can stay or evacuate the civilians if you like, I have no time for this." And with that said, she was gone.

Ino hesitated, patting her teammate's shoulder once before she darted after the raven-haired nin. The others following soon after, with little words of encouragement and gentle pats on his shoulders before the Konoha nins were swallowed by the sounds of battle and smoke screen.

Choji stared blankly after them. He had actually eavesdropped on Naruto's and Ino's conversation, and he admired the blonde boy. Naruto... he felt remorse for what he did yet he knew he couldn't stop, he continued to do so. He wanted to be a hero like the blonde and his father (the Yondaime was Naruto's dad, his mind screeched like a rabid fan-boy, but the shock was taking a far too long time to register) too, regardless of whatever stupid stunts the Senju had pulled when he was a child.

To take the life of another just to protect another... it was cruel but it was the life of a ninja. What would his own father say if he saw Choji hesitating like a coward he actually was? Yes, he knew he was a coward, timid and was scared of almost everything but what terrified him even more was that he'd lose everything and everyone if Konoha ever fell.

And, for once, he wanted to be the hero.

Staying where he was was no longer an option, with that grim thought in mind, he wiped away the tears and sweat and leaped after his friends.

**-felony of himself-**

Hinata was prepared to fight for her life, to protect her friends and village when she jumped after her friends even though she sorely wanted to stay by Choji's side and avoid as much bloodshed as possible. Deep down, she knew it was impossible and she couldn't do such a thing.

Her family thought she was a coward enough and she had talked big, told them about her dreams and promises and she couldn't back down now. Time to prove her resolve with actions instead of just words, like Naruto-kun. She blushed slightly at the thought of the tanned, cute boy, radiating confidence and that easy smile—

Hinata stopped herself, well aware she was acting like a fangirl but can anyone resist Naruto-kun? Even Sasuke-san was drawn in, though the Uchiha hid it considerably well, so well that there were times Hinata forgot that Sasuke actually liked Naruto-kun. And Hinata knew that Sasuke (or her for the matter) didn't like Naruto because of his parentage. They didn't choose him just because he was from a famous and powerful clan (though Hinata suspected that Sasuke even bothered with him in the first place was because of this, and Uchiha's opinion was only changing now when she finally got to know the Senju better), or for the fact that he was the son of the Yondaime—she really didn't know how to react to that news other than fainting or letting her jaw drop—

"Hinata, watch out!"

The Hyuuga heiress stiffened, barely falling into a Jyuuken stance before the enemy struck. She struck back, slapping his attack away from her and slamming her palm onto his chest, an instant kill, she knew the moment she was the enemy nin fall onto the ground, lifeless and broken.

She swallowed the bile rising in her throat, comforting herself that she'd cry and mourn her first kill later.

"Hinata," said Shino, his voice gave nothing away and his face was hidden from view, but she saw his tense shoulders and she knew he was concerned in his own way. She felt touched that she had people like him to watch out for her, and actually cared. "Are you quite all right?"

The Hyuuga heiress felt torn between laughing or crying. But she reminded herself that they were at war now and if she faltered or showed weakness one bit, she'd die and the village along with it. She didn't want that at all.

So she held her head high, and nodded firmly. "I'm okay."

**-felony of himself-**

"Kakashi-sensei!"

The silver-haired man did not make the mistake of turning until he slitted the enemy's throat. Even then, he only darted a glance, eye quickly assessing the genins running towards him and forming a protective circle around him, like he needed their protection. He felt a little warm and thought they were adorable to want to protect him, a seasoned ninja and definitely much more capable than all of them combined.

"Yo, having a hard time?" the Copy-nin waved cheerily, closing his eyes in the signature eyes-smile.

Sasuke scowled at him, ignoring his previous question and asked, "Where's the dope?"

There was only one dope in Sasuke's world, he was slightly curious and a little more than worried to see Naruto's absence among his peers. Nothing could ever happen to the boy, he was his sensei's sole legacy and Kakashi would not fail any of his old team again. "He's not here," he said cheerily, trying to keep the worry out of his posture to stop the genins from worrying. "Why?"

"He used Hiraishin and said he'd teleport to you who has the kunai similar to his," the Uchiha replied, irritated scowl not leaving her face even as she did a roundhouse kick and sent the ninja trying to sneak up on her flying into the nearest concrete. It was a one-hit KO. Good to know that Kakashi had raised a competent assassin.

Her statement gave Kakashi a roundabout of emotions: shock, impressed, pride and worry. So Naruto really was Minato-sensei's son, and he could even use the Hiraishin! Pride surged through him, he'd taught the genin after all and then he felt concern because he hadn't seen hide nor hair of the boy.

"He's not here, didn't see him since he left to chase after you and Gaara."

"W-what i-if something bad h-has h-happened to him?"

"Don't be so negative," chided Ino gently, patting the pale-eyed girl's back. "We'll find him. He's probably involved in a fight or another."

Just as she said that, a chill shot down Kakashi's spine, telling him that something bad was about to happen or had already happened and he just knew it had something to do with sensei's foolhardy son. His fears were confirmed when Gai, lacking his dynamic entry crap and all serious business, landed by his side, slightly winded.

"It's the most Youthful Naruto-kun!" Gai declared in his ever boisterous voice. "He's with the Hokage!"

Kiba stared blankly at the weirdo sensei. "So?" In the Inuzuka's mind, he doubted anything was capable of killing Naruto. He was such a powerful genin to begin with, then he had the Mokuton—a few Senjus had it, yes, but Naruto was actually the second Mokuton-user to be a ninja; or so Kiba heard anyway—and he was the son of the Yondaime! He was practically invulnerable, but still... even the Yondaime had died in battle, Naruto was a weaker version of the man, so him getting killed wasn't too improbable after all.

There was a 50-50 chance that he was already dead.

"The problem is," interjected Kurenai who had also recently landed and was eyeing her genins with pride, but later shifted to concern when she saw Kakashi. "Hokage-sama is fighting a losing battle with Orochimaru and Naruto landed smack dab in the middle!"

"He screwed up on the Hiraishin then," concluded Shikamaru, worried now as his posture straightened. "He wanted to teleport to Kakashi-sensei but ended up with another Hiraishin-kunai carrying user, which happens to the Sandaime... Troublesome shit." He squinted behind Kakashi. "Where's Uchiha?"

Kakashi turned and his heart dropped, along with Sakura's facial expression. _No_... after Obito, Rin and Minato-sensei, he couldn't bear to lose another teammate. "I... hold the fort!" he yelled as he darted away, spreading his chakra out like a net to locate Naruto's _brighthappylively_ chakra, Sasuke's _darkhurtingstruggling_ chakra and the Sandaime's _wiseserenepowerful_ chakra and when he honed in on them, the landscape was but a mere blur and distraction to his goals.

Please, just this once, let him be on time.

**-felony of himself-**

In his long career as a shinobi, then later, as the Hokage, there wasn't much that could take the old Sarutobi by surprise. That was of course, because he had yet to truly get to know Senju Naruto—the most surprising ninja in history. It was understandable of how baffled he was, that he faltered mid-seal, when he saw the blonde boy falling from the sky.

Naruto only had the time to think _oh shit I'm screwed_ before the roots, not of his command snapped at him. He reacted, pouring his chakra and raising his own mini forest; the trees grew and grew, shielding him and the Sandaime from view, allowing them time to breathe before the enemy attacked again.

Naruto was confused as some of the trees rebelled against him before he realized that they were being controlled by another Mokuton-user, which baffled him even more as he used his hand to command them to deflect the attacks from the other side.

"What's going on?" he yelled to the Hokage, flinching every time the roots connected, frayed, decayed and again. "How can Orochimaru use this?"

"It's not him," the Sandaime replied grimly as he nursed his wounds. "It's my old mentor, Senju Hashirama's doing."

Naruto blinked, staring blankly at him. "Old Man, maybe you should lie down for a while..."

The Hokage gave a gentle huff to show his amusement, reaching out and ruffle the young boy's head of blonde, looking so much like Minato at the moment. "I'm fine, Naruto-kun. I am fighting against your great-grandfather and his brother, who are under the influence of Edo Tensei." His expression turned grim. "I cannot defeat the three of them, not at my current condition. Naruto, I know of a way and I am sorry to drag you into what might be your death but I need your help..."

Naruto stared at him, aghast as he explained the plan. "But you'll die!" he yelled, faltering for a moment and that was all it took for the enemy's Mokuton to overwhelm him. He yelped, wondering if it would be wise to summon the Kyubi's chakra but discarded the idea when he saw Senju Hashirama's grim face.

Okay, using the Kyubi would be suicide and he'd be revealing all of his secrets out. He trembled when he saw his ancestors, all powerful shinobi who outclassed, outranked and could totally kill him with just a flick of the wrist. The Old Man had no such hesitations, he offered Naruto a smile, probably the last one he'd get out of the kindly Hokage, before he charged into battle, Naruto's Mokuton backing him up, shielding him but even the blonde knew it wouldn't be perfect defense.

_Try to distract them, Orochimaru controls them, just stall him by talking, give me time to complete the jutsu._

A lump lodged in Naruto's throat as he imagined what the Sandaime was going to do. _Why?_ he'd asked, _was it worth it_? _Is there no other way_? To protect the village even with his life as the price as long as the village's safe, this was what being Hokage meant. If Naruto wanted to be a Hokage, he must ready to make the same sacrifices as Sandaime was going to do—what his father and ancestors had done.

He hardened his resolve, sliding into his fighting stance, and when the next blow came, he was ready.

He knew, of course, he would be getting his ass kicked but winning the battle was not the key to victory.

_Goodbye, Old Man_.

**-felony of himself-**

When Senju Hashirama imagined what his meeting would be like with his descendants and his hopes for the future, he did not think he'd meet one of them like this, as enemies, him already dead and now a mere puppet and the other just beginning and so young in comparison to him.

He was baffled at first, when he was pulled from the darkness, bared for a single bonfire. He saw no one else there, not his brother, no wife, not his children nor his grandchildren, which totally sucked until he recalled that he'd only meet them once they die. So he waited, he didn't know for how long before someone finally joined him.

A silver-haired, kindly face shinobi of Konoha who looked no older than Hashirama was when he died. He'd smiled and introduced himself, and they'd talked and talked until Hashirama suddenly found himself pulled out of the darkness. He saw his brother, surprised that his little brother had died as well and why hadn't he seen the silver-haired man when he died?

Maybe they lived in different afterlives? That sucked.

What sucked more than that was being controlled by a freaky-long-haired snake like guy who was intent on destroying all of Hashirama's dreams and hard work. He grounded his teeth together as his body moved against his will and wow, he was fighting an old man far from his prime. He mentally scolded his brother for creating such a jutsu and swore he'd talk his ear off when they were done.

Please let someone defeat them!

Somewhere along the battle, Hashirama realized that the old man he was fighting was his student Sarutobi Hiruzen! He looked so old, like what, seventy or was it eighty? He knew instantly that the old man who was the current Hokage (strange, there were four heads on the Hokage Mountain) from his speech and what that Orochimaru freak was rattling on about. No shinobis came to help Saru fight them off, and he was enraged, thinking that the shinobis had abandoned their Kage when he saw the barriers preventing the battling Konoha-nin from helping.

They had their own battles, and the barrier was stopping them from helping.

Then, in the heat of battle that Hashirama was praying him and Tobirama would lose, a boy fell from the sky. At first, Hashirama thought he was the Yondaime since he looked slightly like the likeness on the mountain before he realized the boy was too young and small and inexperienced to be a Kage.

He stared, confused and baffled, then adorably, said, "Uh... can I go home?" It sounded like something he would've said. The boy was adorable, like he was when he was younger! (He just knew even though no one told him.)

"That got to be your, what, grandchild? Great-grandson?" Tobirama snorted rudely. "Your gene's incorrigible."

"Ah," The Bastard who'd summoned them said, hissing as he licked his lips with his unnaturally long tongue. "That's Naruto-kun. Your great-grandson, child of your granddaughter, Tsunade who was my teammate."

"Tsunade had a kid," repeated Tobirama flatly, sounding slightly impressed.

Hashirama could understand where Tobirama was coming from. Tsunade was such a tomboy like her mother, causing damage in her wake, everyone was worried she'd be able to find a boy to suit her temper tantrums and man enough to endure her wrath. But apparently, their worries were unprecedented.

Naruto was surprising, he looked nothing like Tsunade except for the blonde hair, fair healthy skin, eye shape and—

A root nearly took Hashirama's head off. Had Orochimaru not been paying attention, the ancient Senju would've felt what it was like to be decapitated. He had to admit, he was slightly curious but he figured this wasn't the time nor place. He was also surprised to see roots lashing back at him, apparently, his great grandkid could use Mokuton (he was so_ooo_ proud he thought he could cry tears of joy), he wondered about the rest of the Senjus and let his eyes stray to the shinobis outside the barrier.

Huh, he didn't see anyone from Senju or Uchiha for the matter, strange. Hashirama shrugged off the bad feeling, wondering why he felt dread churning in his gut when suddenly, Naruto and Saru emerged from their little forest. Fortunately for the, Orochimaru was severely underestimating them and was willing to let them discuss their futile plan and gave them time.

If having Hashirama shooting roots at them was called a form of mercy.

Naruto, he surmised, had talent and the makings of an excellent shinobi, definitely one who could be the next Hokage. But he lacked experience which Hashirama and Tobirama had, over a few generations of war and battle. The young had no reservations when it came to striking them down but he knew he wouldn't be able to defeat them, he was stalling. And Orochimaru knew it.

Two Bunshins of Saru's darted around them. And when Hashirama was forced to defeat them, his great-grandson formed the necessary handseals for Taju Kage Bunshin. Instead of a few, a hundred, probably thousands rose to meet Hashirama and Tobirama who shared suspicious glances. How did a kid, no matter how great the genes were, could create so many number of clones?

Even Hashirama could barely manage ten. Tobirama even less.

There was something about the boy that Hashirama couldn't place but he was willing to bet that it wasn't something he'd like.

"Do it now!" the boy screamed as his clones were being defeated one after another.

Tobirama shook his head in remorse as his cheeks puffed and the familiar **Mizurappa**, so much more powerful than Hashirama's, spouted from his mouth and at the their descendant. "Sorry," he heard his little brother's distant murmur.

The boy coughed, distracted, trying to rub the water from his face and eyes just as, to Hashirama's dawning horror, a root of his own control shot forward, aimed at the boy's heart and he couldn't even scream a warning—

—Naruto's eyes widened—

—Sarutobi's scream was soundless as he was immobile—

—Orochimaru grinned maliciously—

—Tobirama closed his eyes, he couldn't watch this; killing their enemy was one thing, but their own flesh and blood—

Blood spilled, fair skin blemished by blood as the life left the rapidly dulling wide eyes, knees locked as the impaled scion fell to the ground in a crumpled heap, a soundless scream leaving the parted lips.

And then there was a scream, a roar of rage and_ chaos_.

* * *

_You're an idiot, you know that?_

_Ah, but I'm your idiot._

_I'll never do something as you did, that's for sure._

_Really?_

_Yes._

...

...

...

_That's what you said. But... still... why?_

_I just did... take that..._

_Why do you care?_

...

...

...

_You have your dreams, I have mine, you can't die and neither will I._

_You're a fucking liar._

...

...

...

_Stop making promises you can't keep._

_..._

_I really, really can't stand you._

_..._

_I... really hate—_

* * *

Her world was bleak, bleaching till everything faded to black.

Darkness was her sworn enemy, she hated it. Because that was the time nightmares came back with a vengeance. She always chased away the darkness with a source of light but this darkness, was eternal, she couldn't see an end. She didn't even know why she was here and how she got there. All she knew was that she was beyond redemption, her memory failed to procure to her anything essential.

There was this boy, going to a man, with raven hair and crimson eyes and a kind smile; brother, maybe. She couldn't even remember her own face and name, how was she suppose to know the more minor details.

She breathed even though she had the impression that air was not necessary.

Her feet carried her with no apparent destination in mind, walking aimlessly was better than standing and let her over imaginative mind take control of her.

She struggled, and when she glanced up, this time she saw light.

She blinked again and this time, she found her sight returning, clear mirror like water was the surface she stood on and the rest were black and black void. There was... essentially, _nothing_.

It was terrible, to know that nothing but her existed here.

She stopped, because there, was a child, crouching and crying, the sobs wracking her small and frail body.

She stared blankly, her steps producing sounds now as she approached the little girl who stopped her crying to look up at her. The taller girl pulled back, shocked to see the girl had her face, younger and much more innocent and terribly sad. Was this really her?

"Where's my brother?"

They blinked simultaneously, and the landscape changed, pavements formed beneath their feet and walls lined up. The streets were silent in the night view and as the two girls began to walk, the younger taking off and running, her long hair—a distant memory of _Aniki, let's keep our hair long as a symbol of our love, okay?_—flying behind her.

The taller girl followed at a slower pace, she knew what she was going to see even before she saw the corpses and blood coloring the ground. The smaller her cried, terrified, and the next thing she knew, her younger self ran out of the house, calling for her elder brother.

He won't come, she knew.

_Run... keep on running, cling onto your pathetic existence... little sister. Fester your hate and when you finally have eyes like mine, come find me_.

* * *

_you have a goal don't you?_

_yes._

_then what are you doing just sleeping?_

_wake up._

...

...

...

Please?

...

...

...

Why won't she wake? Are your skills getting faulty?

...

...

...

_Cling onto your existence, little sister, fester your hate and we'll battle. _

_Is your hate enough to rival my existence?_

_Can you kill me, the one who played the role of a loving older brother?_

_Are you strong enough?_

...

...

...

_I won't let you hurt them, no longer, I won't just stand as all my precious comrades fall before me._

_Not again._

...

...

...

I really... really hate it when I'm about to lose you.

* * *

Blood, it was on him, everywhere, on the ground. Darkness threatened to take him, and _painpainpain_ and more pain. Just that one sensation that numbed everything, dulled the landscape and the people with it. Naruto's hand twitched upwards, to where his heart was supposed to be...

Impaled. He clutched the fabric of his shirt, falling to his knees, mouth opened as he gaze at who had taken the blow meant for him. Across from him, Orochimaru's eyes widened, along with his dead ancestors' reincarnations.

"An... Uchiha, protecting our kin?" The Nidaime sounded as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Sasu...ke?"

The Sharingan flickered, once, twice before it turned to lifeless black. The surprise and pained expression etched onto her face even in death. The proud uchiwa symbol sown into her back was torn, marred by blood and when her body threatened to slide down the roof, that was when it sunk in that she was dead.

Naruto screamed, the pain—_give in, vessel, give in and i'll take all the pain away_—took over and as his arms struggled upwards, clutching at his own shoulders in a pathetic attempt of a self-embrace, and the next thing he knew, there was blood, his vision was red and when he moved—the wind bowed, unable to stop his maddening charge.

Naruto was ripping, snarling and cursing before he realized that he'd damn well demolished the building and he was now facing an Orochimaru with his left cheek ripped out, two dead Senjus regenerating from what looked like claw marks. He snarled, his tails—how many, two, no, three—waving about him.

"**Shiki Fūjin**!"

Naruto roared, disoriented as ghostly arms shot past him and dragged its three targets. He hissed, confused when two of them crumbled into dust and for the sole enemy to howl in pain. He did not bother hesitating, lunging forwards and was about to tear out the snake-man's throat when someone—_white hair, mask, familiar but who's he, he doesn't care all that matters is Sasuke_—slapped something onto his forehead.

He snarled, clawed hands about to rip the man's face away when fatigue surged through his body, forcing his arm to slacken. He blinked rapidly, hearing the whispers and when he could see again, the look of hate and disgust and shock and pity. He shook his head to clear away the cloudiness, clutching his forehead as he stumbled back to the source of his berserk mode.

"Sasuke..." A lump lodged in this throat. "She... she's dead, isn't she. She'll never yell or shout at me or get mad at me ever again, will she...?"

"Lend the medics a hand, Naruto." Naruto blinked away the tears gathering, feet automatically carrying him to the pale Uchiha's side, ignoring how the medics shied away from him, he placed his hand on her chest and poured all of his chakra into her being. He'd heard of a technique invented by his mother's rival, Chiyo; he'd only heard the basic fundamentals but it was enough, he had enough chakra...

"You can't die, you _won't_."

**-felony of himself-**

Sakura was sort of in a daze afterwards, after seeing her raven-haired teammate's near-death experience and learning at the same time that her other blonde teammate, her crush, was the vessel of the most hated demon in Konoha (and he'd been whisked away to the T&I) Was Naruto even himself anymore, or had she been crushing on a demon all this while? A demon who hid behind the face of a cute and cheery blond.

Her feet carried her to the hospital room where she knew Sasuke was lying, unconscious. She ignored the stares that came with her the moment the rumors spread that Naruto had the Kyubi's chakra and power. They'd changed feared the Senju heir then, demanding his death or him be chased out. How ironic that days ago, they were practically kissing the ground he walked on.

She herself didn't know what to think anymore. Who and what was Naruto anyway? A Senju, a Mokuton-user, son of the Yondaime, then... the Kyubi—a monster, she'd seen what it was capable of when it demolished a building and ripped of a Kage-level shinobi's cheek.

Sakura's right hand was carrying a bouquet of flowers that she'd brought from an unusually silent Ino, her other hand reached out to push the sliding door.

She gasped, her grip on the flowers dropping when she saw the pale man standing by her friend's side. His hand was clutching the Uchiha girl's face, like he wanted to crush her skull; his crimson-colored cloud patterned coat covered most of his body but there was no denying the resemblance he had with the girl.

This was undoubtedly Sasuke's most hated person and the one person she wanted to kill: Uchiha Itachi.

But what was he doing here? Trying to finish his sister off when she was defenseless? That sounded cowardly and if there was anything Sakura knew of the Uchiha Clan, she knew they wouldn't do something like this, no matter how deranged and insane they were. But this was a man who'd slaughtered his own family to test his own powers, there was no saying what he would do.

The intellectual part of Sakura's brain demanded to know why a skilled shinobi such as Uchiha Itachi didn't bother masking his presence from her, or why he hadn't leave the moment he detected her presence? Well, not that there was anything remotely terrifying about Sakura, but still, she'd raise an alarm and it won't be long before a shinobi in the hospital register the menacing and dark chakra, foreign and an enemy's.

Another part of her mind, instinctively made her scream, because there was danger standing before her.

The deranged Uchiha looked at her flatly, pulling his hand back, shuffled about just as Kakashi-sensei barged in through the doorway, pulling Sakura back the same time he did. She'd never been so relieved to see her silver-haired mask-wearing perverted weirdo teacher. Kakashi-sensei was strong, he'd handle this!

"Sakura," said her sensei, his voice strained; he had his Sharingan on as well, combating the other Uchiha's Sharingan which had a different pattern. "go get help."

Sakura was never one to disobey or question her superiors—that was what Naruto and Sasuke were for—so she took off, screaming for help at the top of her lungs.

"You're not taking my student," declared Kakashi firmly, quietly.

"Oh?" Itachi cocked an eyebrow, his eyes darting to his little sister's once to make sure the genjutsu on her was firmly in place before he returned his attention to his opponent who closed his normal eye and looked right at him with his uncle's eye. When he was but a mere toddler, Itachi had always admired Obito so when the news arrived that Hatake Kakashi was now the bearer of Uchiha Obito's Sharingan, he hadn't been too surprised because that was the sort of person Obito was. "What makes you think you can do such?"

"KAKASHI, My Most Youthful Rival! I shall Lend a Hand—Dynamic Entry!"

Before Kakashi could yell, _don't do anything stupid like kick the wall down,_ the slab of wall went flying and Gai leapt in, delivering a powerful kick Itachi's way. Asuma and Kurenai followed shortly, on guard and tensed, Sakura was hovering behind, but she cried out when Gai kicked the door down.

"You'll hit Sasuke!" That was a bit too late and Gai seemed to realize this just now.

"Oh... Youthful Student of My Rival! Are you quite all right?!"

"Of course not," snapped Kakashi, irritated and more than concerned as he rushed to where Itachi once stood, before he'd dissolved into crows and took flight out of the window. "Pursue him, I will join soon after!" When the jonins left and Kakashi made to join them after summoning doctors and nurses into the room to check on his student, his mind incessantly pestered him with the image of Itachi kicking the bed where his sister laid further away from the concrete's path before he left.

Was he... protecting her?

If so, why? Why when he'd slaughter all of his immediate family and had spared his sister, encouraged her to get more power (no matter how twisted his way of doing was), and protect her now? Did Itachi underestimate his little sister so much? Even without the Sharingan, Kakashi could tell that someday, Sasuke would surpass her older brother, and that day didn't seem too far if she kept up her current progress.

Letting his sister live (Kakashi knew that the ANBU reaching just in time to chase Itachi away before he could finish his deal with his sister was nothing short of bullshit), encouraging her, waiting for her to come to him instead of killing her when she was weak... all of it didn't add up.

It didn't make sense.

**-felony of himself-**

"Come on," pestered Naruto incessantly pulling his mother's hand, trying to get her to hurry. "hurry up, Mom, Shi-nee, S'ke needs your treatment as soon as possible, she's not waking!"

Senju Tsunade sighed, rolling her eyes at her son's quirky attitude. He'd always been like that ever since she could remember, always concerned about others and prioritizing them first instead of his own well-being. It was an admiring and worrying trait to have; not for the first time, Tsunade cursed her son's father for passing down such an accursed gene. She could do with her son being selfish, watching out for himself instead of others first.

But of course, it was a bet she lost to the course of life.

Damn.

Tsunade hurried when her son's pull became stronger as they neared the last room in the hall. She frowned when she saw the missing wall and the nurses and doctors crowding around it. "What happened here?" she demanded, shaking off Naruto's hand and hurrying forward, glancing in through the hole in wall, surprised when her son gave a cry of surprise and rush in before her.

"Sasuke!"

The Senju Clan head squinted to get a better look at the girl that had kept Naruto on edge. That had made her son run back to her, and practically begged her for her help, somehow managing to convince her to go back—to the cursed village that had taken her everything and might just take her son away as well—and be Hokage and to cure his friends. Well, she'd assumed that there had to be more than one injured in the war, but all he kept going on and on about was this 'Sasuke' which made her worry that he was actually gay (not that it was uncommon among shinobis).

She took a glance at the name plate by the door, feeling amused when she saw the Uchiha name. Oho... a Senju and Uchiha? Nice, she knew this love story would be a drama like no other. Then she winced when she recalled that most Uchiha relationships with someone out of their own clan was disastrous and she didn't want anything to happen to her son, physically and mentally.

"Mom, come on!"

Tsunade placed a hand on the girl's forehead, frowning when she had to worm her chakra into the girl's pathways, why was she under a genjutsu? There was no indication that the doctors had to use genjutsu to numb her for a surgery or operation. And judging from the hole in the wall, she suspected the girl was under attack.

Her suspicions were confirmed when the nurses instantly gave full report to Shizune when her apprentice demanded an explanation for a fight in the hospital.

Uchiha Itachi, huh? Tsunade had heard of the deranged Uchiha's deeds, if what the rumors about him were true, his sister wouldn't even be alive. Especially when she was defenseless.

_Why did he let her live when he could easily rid himself of a nuisance_. The question lingered in her mind even as she examined the girl and pulled back.

Naruto was worried, impatiently tapping his foot on the ground, eyeing her for an answer. "Well?" he sounded frustrated when the girl didn't wake instantly. "Why won't she wake? Are your skills getting faulty?"

A vein in her forehead throbbed but it receded some when she landed a hit on her son's thick skull.

"Care to repeat that?"

Naruto scowled at her petulantly—looking like he was six again and it always made Tsunade forgive her son when he was being her adorable little boy—but whatever retort he might have died when the Uchiha on the bed made a soft noise of discomfort as her eyelids fluttered open for the first time in weeks.

Instantly, Tsunade saw the changes in her son. Naruto's shoulders drooped, relaxing, his eyes suspiciously bright but he darted past her and tackled the waking Uchiha in a hug, repeating his thanks and how fucking glad he was and adding that she was a stupid idiot for jumping in.

"Ano, Senju-sama?" The doctor glanced at her, making it clear he wasn't addressing the male Senju, whom he made a disgusted face at. Naruto saw, flinched but he didn't remove himself from his raven haired teammate who didn't struggle and remained in his embrace. "Can you please excuse yourself? I need to make a medial check-up on Uchiha-san."

Tsunade scowled. Just because her son was the host of a monster, they thought he was one and now blamed her too for giving birth to a 'monster'. She sneered; in her absence, the villagers still hadn't changed, still so ignorant and shallow that it disgusted her. The thought of becoming their leader made her stomach churn but if being leader meant that she could get her son extra protection...

"Are you implying," she took a few threatening steps forward, poking the pathetic excuse of a man in his chest repeatedly as she spoke, punctuating her words. "that you are a better medic than I?"

The doctor paled instantly, shaking his head and when Tsunade jabbed her thumb at the doorway, a sign for him to leave, he obeyed and the gathering crowd dispersed as well under her glare.

She glanced back at Naruto gave her shaky smile but she knew him better, she saw how much it hurt to be viewed as a monster. Her amber eyes softened, reaching out to poke his forehead; the simple reassuring, reprimanding gesture made the Uchiha's eyes widened, the light and life finally returning to her eyes.

She blinked rapidly, her Sharingan flickering a few times before it return to its normal color. She scowled, disentangling herself from her son and inspected the place.

"What the fuck happened?"

Tsunade smirked; it seemed that her son had truly met his match. She tapped Shizune's shoulder, motioning her to allow the two kids in love (she knew this to be true even though both denied this fact vehemently) time for themselves.

"Now, don't we have other matters to deal with?"

**-felony of himself-**

He was holding her hand in public, which made her scowl in displeasure in contrast to his pleased smile. Someday, Sasuke swore she'd wipe that cocky and sly smile on his face her punch; she disliked it when he was being manipulative, taking advantage of her situation.

She grumbled silently, looking at anywhere but Naruto as they made their way to the Uchiha district. It was only when they neared the market place and Naruto made to pull her into another less crowded place, she realized something was wrong. Usually, the villager smiled and waved at Naruto and Sasuke but today, the looks were filled with contempt, disgust and hate and no little amount of fear.

Parents pulled their children away from the clan heirs, the girls retreated behind their male lovers who gulped audibly in fear, the shinobis eyed the pair like they were monsters.

Naruto. They were looking at Naruto and not her. Instead, looks of concern were directed her way.

She frowned, making a mental note to confront the blonde about this particular fact.

Naruto gulped when Sasuke whirled on him once the pair were behind the safe and empty district of the Uchihas. To avoid the confrontation, he clapped his hands together, eyes sparkling as he said, "I learned a new technique when you were out!" Sasuke glowered at him at the reminder. "It's called the Rasengan—"

"What's with the looks?"

"Uh..." he glanced away from her piercing black eyes—they were seriously beautiful black pools but now, they were simply unnerving and didn't seem as appealing as before. "I don't know what you're talking about..."

"Don't lie to me, dope, you really should know better." His companion arched an eyebrow as she pulled her hand away from his with a tad more force than necessary, opening the door to her house and entering without inviting Naruto in. "Now, spit it."

"When you... when you died—"

He looked pained but Sasuke's eyes didn't soften nor did she let him stop, continuing to pin him with her glare. He sighed in defeat. "I snapped."

Her eyes widened slightly, realization clouding her eyes. "You freed it?" Her eyes zeroed in on his stomach like she expected the Kyubi to sprung out out of the blue.

"No, they saw my chakra. But Kakashi-sensei restrained me before I did something I would regret, fortunately." He grimaced at the thought of hurting anybody innocent or destroying his own village. "But they're still scared anyway. They... well, let's just say I finally knew how Gaara felt like in his own village."

"Everyone knows now, then," remarked Sasuke flatly, crossing her slender fingers together on her lap, gazing calmly out at the garden through the sliding doors.

Naruto shuffled his feet awkwardly. "Yeah." He ducked his head, scratching his hair for the lack of anything better to do. "But I'm going to show them I won't hurt them, I'll be the best Hokage after my mother -ttebayo!"

Sasuke's eyes widened. "Your mother is the next Hokage? What happened to the Sandaime?"

Naruto flinched, glancing down, his mood worsened. "The funeral had passed when you're in coma. He died sealing away my ancestors and Orochimaru's arms. That guy still managed to escape anyway, despite our best efforts." He sighed, face grim when he glanced at the seal on Sasuke's neck. It still made him want to punch something when he saw the result of the hickey given to Sasuke by Orochimaru. And what Ero-sennin said, about the possibility of Sasuke leaving to chase Orochimaru for power... it terrified him and made him wish that it wouldn't happen.

As if reading his thoughts, Sasuke's hand inched upwards, rubbing the spot where the Curse Seal was, her gaze thoughtful, but not in the kind way, more like _what's my next evil plan_ look and it further cemented the fear in Naruto's gut.

"Don't go," whispered Naruto. The words slipping out of his throat before he could help it; Sasuke glanced up at him in surprise. "Going to Orochimaru wouldn't help. You can stay here and still get stronger!"

Sasuke chuckled, maliciously, lowly; her black eyes weren't normal, they were evil, as if considering what way she should leave, which would hurt Naruto more.

"And what," drawled Sasuke, sounding cruelly amused. "do you think you can do to stop me?"

The direction this conversation was going down... Naruto felt his dread building up but what could he do anyway? Sasuke eyed him coldly, voice low as she said, "Staying here wouldn't give me power. I wouldn't be strong enough to defeat Itachi. You can keep on playing ninja however long you want, I won't, I am an avenger—"

Naruto lunged, forcing the Uchiha to back away lest she had him in her face. His fist connected soundly with the wall she was cornered into, her black eyes were wide in disbelief when she saw the crack in the wall, she registered his rage in his eyes, wondering who it was directed at. She was quite pleased and impressed with herself, to be able to draw such an emotion from him.

"I don't care what you think you can do, what you want to do, but if you ever chose to leave, I'll bring you back here. I'll chase you to the ends of the world itself, I'll close whatever distance and obstacles there is. I'll carry you, drag you back kicking and screaming even if I have to."

The Senju pulled back, knowing that he'd made his point and if he wanted to avoid seriously beating the idiocy and stubbornness out of her, he had to leave now because his mood was too foul even for him to control. He couldn't get too upset, Ero-sennin had warned him that Kyubi would just manipulate his sadness and anger.

He left, leaving Sasuke to stare at his back.

Her hands reached up to cover her face, her fingertips brushing her cheek where she'd felt his breath when he spoke. She scowled heavily, unable to hide the crimson on her cheeks as she grasped the fabric covering her chest.

"Stupid Senju... who does he think he is? What makes him think he can tie me down here?"

**-felony of himself-**

Naruto walked the less crowded streets, to the dense forests where the trees comforted him and soothed his raging heart. He walked till he lost track of time, only when the first droplets of rain started to fall and hit his blonde spikes and fair skin that he realized it was late and he was not in a forest.

He blinked, instantly searching for the nearest tree so that he would be led right back to Konoha.

He was about to leap away when the muddy soil gave away beneath him, he stumbled, falling. He gritted his teeth, hearing the rushing water beneath and snapped his fingers, roots shot out of his sleeves and becoming a landhold. He breathed out with relief, that was a close call.

The Senju blinked, squinting to see better in the dark and the storm. His hand reached out, tracing the seal on the boulder before him. The words below were scorched to hell, he couldn't tell what it was other than that it was meant to seal in something. Without much thought, he tore the seal off and stuffed it in his pocket. He'd take a look at it later with much better light.

When Naruto returned to the village, night had fallen and he was soaked through and through. He glanced at the streets leading towards the Uchiha district but he figured that Sasuke wouldn't be happy to see him so soon after the fight. He walked down the lonely path to his apartment, wondering when he'd finally be able to live in the same house as his mother and Shizune.

He glanced at the clock, frowning when he saw the hands pointing at nine forty. If his mother knew he'd been out so late and in the rain too, she'd murder him. Deciding to place the seal on the table for later look in the morning, he hurried to the bathroom, not noticing the glowing seal.

**Later that night...**

Naruto grunted in his sleep as he shuffled, trying to turn to his side. He frowned, blinking blearily when he realized that he couldn't move at all, as if there was something on top of him. Forcing the fear down, he opened his blue eyes to accessed the new oddity.

He blinked, making sure he didn't see things before he screeched.

Another scream followed and the added burden lifted; Naruto rolled out of bed, scrambling to his feet, roots crawling up his arm and forming a makeshift kunai though he didn't know how efficient it would be when used on a ghost.

"Who are you, and how did you get into my house?" he demanded of the ghost, wondering if there was anything he'd done to drag this thing back home. He flashed back to what he had done before he came back to his apartment and instantly, ducked under bed, coming back up with the seal he'd tore off the boulder. "You're a ghost?!" he shrieked when he saw the stranger's translucent form.

"Ghost! Where!"

Stumbling backwards until his back hit the wall, Naruto blanched, turning a shade paler as his hand fumbled for the switch, eyeing the ghost in his apartment warily. He gulped audibly when the ghost finally stopped before the mirror, gawked a second before another screech of terror join the air once the deceased himself realized that he had no reflection.

Naruto switched on the lights, still on guard. The dead man eyed him with something akin to despair. The Senju felt momentary pity, sighing, he gestured to the dining table and chairs. "Have a seat," he said with a calm he did not feel. "Let's talk. What's your name?" Naruto glanced down at the seal in his hand. "Is it Kisuke? What's your last name?"

The ghost hummed, looking confused and unsure himself. "I suppose it is my name. Strange, I can't remember." Naruto's eye twitched. "I didn't even know I died. Do you know me?"

There was a hopeful glint in his eyes that Naruto hate to crush but he sighed, shaking his head. "Sorry, but I really am in a bad mood today. Let me get some sleep and we'll settle your business tomorrow all right?"

Kisuke nodded, looking very much like a lost child seeking out his mother. "Sure," he responded, sounding totally out-of-it. His grey eyes darted to the blonde who had just slipped under the sheets. "Love problem?" He recognized the face on the young blonde, he'd worn it more than once before.

Naruto grunted but when he felt the ghost's eyes boring down on him, seemingly earnest to help. "Yes," he sighed at last. "I mean, she... she wants to leave this village for good." His fist clenched, the other hand supporting his head did too. "I don't know what I can do to stop her... she's so serious..." He blinked, mustering a shaky smile. "Sorry for ranting. I'll go to sleep now. Night."

**-felony of himself-**

Naruto sighed, slumping down on a bench, resting his head on his palm, gazing at the streets of Konoha. He didn't bother glancing at the equally depressed ghost by his side as he said, "There's no one who knows you. What do we do now?"

Kisuke sighed heavily. He pressed his hands to his head. "I wish I could remember but all I could summon is the face of this woman... I think she's my wife." He looked at Naruto hopefully.

As oblivious as he could be at times, Naruto understood the meaning of that look and the impossibility of it. He winced apologetically. "Er... Konoha alone has ten thousands of shinobi, and there's a whole lot more of civillians compared to the shinobis. I don't think we'll find her by walking around in this lifetime."

Simultaneously, the two males, one dead and one living, sighed.

"Naruto-kun!"

Naruto blinked, not flinching at all when arms forcefully wrapped his torso into a hug. He blinked. "Ino-chan, you need something from me?"

The Yamanaka pouted, skillfully hiding her flustered feelings whenever she was around the blonde boy, as she said, "Do I need a reason to be around you?"

"Well... yeah," said Naruto, grinning when she pouted more. His smile slipped, hesitating before he decided that it would be fine to take a wild shot in the dark. "Know anyone by the name Kisuke? Middle-aged, brown hair and grey eyes?"

Ino blinked at the strange question, tapping her chin with her finger thoughtfully as she scoured through her memories. "Hmm... yes, I think I know of a man with that name. He's in the hospital... uh, Room 345 or 346, I think. Why do you ask, Naruto- Naruto-kun...?" The blonde girl blinked rapidly at the back of the blonde boy that had taken off even before she'd finished her question. She pouted, crossing her arms. "What's his problem?"

**-felony of himself-**

"Room 345... nope, some other guy. Room 346... ah, here!"

Naruto skidded to a stop, ignoring the dirty look the nurse shot him—either for breaking the rules of no running in the hospital or for being the host of Kyubi, he didn't know and didn't care at the moment—and proceeding to slide the door open, blue eyes instantly zeroing in on the listless figure on the bed.

He gasped. "That's seriously you, Kisuke. You're not dead, yet!" He turned to his ghost friend who wasn't even paying attention to his own body. Rather, he was staring deeply at the tulip flower, placed in the vase and looked close to wilting. Naruto stepped forward, placing his finger on it, channeling some of his chakra and in the next moment, the tulip was back to full health. He twisted the petal in his hand gently, wondering what sort of flower Sasuke would bother looking at properly. "Does this flower hold some sort of special meaning to you, Kisuke?"

"Wargh!"

He turned. "Kisuke?" he asked, loudly as the ghost curled in on himself, hands clasping boths sides of his head, sweat beading down his translucent forehead. "Is something wrong?"

"I remember now!"

"Remember what?" asked Naruto, baffled as the ghost started to flutter about in worry.

"I know how I ended up here now! I was assigned a mission to find out about a spy among the ninjas. I discovered that it was Sabiru, I confronted him and we fought and... and I lost I suppose, since I ended up here. He used some sort of soul separation technique on me! He's a traitor, he plans to take control of all of Konoha's by lying and saying that he had a defense system to fortify Konoha's defense system, we have to warn the Hokage! The Sandaime will believe me—"

"Kisuke," said Naruto grimly, upset that he had to keep repeating that the Old Man was dead. "The Sandaime is dead. The current Hokage is my mother though, she'll believe me, come on!"

Naruto, without much thought about Kisuke's ability to travel, Shuunshin'ed away and only when he arrived at the Hokage Tower that Kisuke wasn't there. He worried his lower lip, wondering what he should do before he just Henge'd and darted in. He might as well disrupt the meeting, hopefully, the people knew too little about Kisuke to catch the impostor behind.

"Stop!" he yelled loudly, pushing and struggling against the guards posted by the doors. His eyes met his mother's for a moment and he thought he saw her eyes widening in momentary surprise before she returned to her impassive mask. "I need to speak." When his mother raised his hand and motioned for him to enter, he rushed in, pointing an accusing finger at the blue-haired dude he assumed to be Sabiru from Kisuke's description of him. "Don't listen to him or whatever plans he had in fortifying Konoha's defense! He's a bloody spy, I was assigned to check out a spy and my investigations led me to him!"

Sabiru's face went through a roller coaster of emotions: shock, anger, panic before back to calm. His face hardened. "Maboroshi Kisuke has been admitted to the hospital for months now. Hokage-sama, everyone, he's a impostor! Kisuke was in coma, had recently passed away, he can't possibly be here!"

Naruto hissed, paling rapidly when one of the guards confirmed this fact. Oh, well, he better run.

Rushing through the woods without having to look, Naruto laid traps nilly-willy, hoping to catch Sabiru who was sure to run after him to 'finish the job' and Naruto'd be damn if he let that blue-haired guy catch him. He whirled around when he sensed the approach of another.

His eyes narrowed, his hands flying into the signature **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**. Sabiru didn't even blink, his lips curled into a cruel sneer.

"I don't know who you are, but I'll let you know that I won't let you live."

"Who're you working for?" demanded Naruto as his clones advanced. "Is it Orochimaru?"

"Oh, so you're better informed than I thought—"

Naruto blinked, ducking as a hail of senbons fly past him. Then when he was sure the coast was clear, he approached the listless form of Sabiru, reaching out to check his pulse. "He's dead," he repeated to himself flatly as he rolled the cooling man's body to his back. He sighed. "Great, what do I do now? I don't even have any evidence to accuse him..."

A hand found its way on Naruto's blonde head, ruffling it fondly. Naruto was slightly curious as to why Kaka-sensei was here, he turned, the question at the tip of his tongue when Kakashi smiled down at him, showing him a crumpled piece of paper. "See this? This is proof."

"How...?"

"Your mother had suspected all along, she said that he had bad vibes and sent us out to investigate, not knowing that Maboroshi-san had been sent out." Kakashi hefted the body of Sabiru on his shoulder, shoving the papers into his pocket. "And what do you know, he is a spy sent by Orochimaru. You better find Sasuke, Kabuto is back in our midst. He was the one who killed Sabiru with the hail of instantaneous death cause poison."

Cold ice gripping his heart, Naruto dispelled the Henge and hurriedly scrambled out of the forest. He came out of the forest, finding himself in a burned down part of the village, was about to dismiss it when he saw the ghost of Kisuke.

"Kisuke!" the boy called, rushing towards the kneeling ghost. "You're here—whoa... you're disappearing, did you know your job's done? Sabiru's dead and his evil deeds unraveled."

Kisuke glanced up with a watery smile. "Thank you for helping me," the ghost said sincerely. "I saw everything. I thank you for helping me, now at last, I can rest in peace." His smile turned peaceful and more than a tad wistful. "Perhaps I shall see my wife in the other world. Ne, Naruto-kun, can you do me a few more favors?"

The Senju arched a brow. "Sure." He didn't mind helping others, especially not when they're ghost and dead and totally died a hero's death. "What do you need?"

"If you ever recall me, can you please place tulips on my grave? I want my love for my wife to be remembered."

"But the people who see it won't know who it's for." Naruto pointed out.

Kisuke's peaceful didn't waver even as his torso shimmered. "In the language of flowers, tulips embody love."

"Oh, and the other request?"

"The girl you're grumpy about, treasure her, you never know when you're going to lose her." Naruto blinked rapidly, he was already losing Sasuke to Itachi and he knew damn well she won't be staying long enough to celebrate his approaching birthday or spend the time watching the snow fall by his side. "Yes, someday you'll lose her as many things can separate you two. But isn't it more important to treasure what you have of her now, embrace the past and puzzle the future?"

Naruto's eyes widened. "Kisuke, wait..." His voice died, a lump lodged in his throat as the ghost slipped through his fingers. He inhaled, smelling the sweet scent of tulips even though there was no such plant growing around this burnt part. He rubbed his suspiciously stinging eyes, kneeling on the charred ground and pouring his chakra into it.

And, for the first time ever, Naruto grew plants with his Mokuton without having to use any seeds. When he gazed at his work, he didn't feel pride or a hint of accomplishment, merely, he felt wistfulness and longing. Man, now he wanted to see Sasuke, hear her voice and just... be with her.

With only Sasuke in mind, the hateful stares he got on his way to the Uchiha district didn't hurt as much anymore. He skidded to a halt, sensing Sasuke's chakra in the garden. He ignored the strange sight of her fingering the petal of a pale flower and tackled her to the ground.

The Uchiha protested, squirmed and struggled until she was out of breath.

"All right, idiot, what was that for?" she demanded angrily, eyes narrowed in irritation. "Give me a great reason to not beat the shit out of you—!"

The kiss silenced her effectively.

Naruto pulled back rather quickly when he felt Sasuke's chakra turn downright murderous. "You little pervert—!"

Naruto laughed, rubbing his sore and bruised cheek; the punch was totally worth it if the pros were Sasuke's slightly flushed face, she really did look cuter when she was adorable. "Sorry, I couldn't help myself." It was the truth, Kisuke's words had really struck a cord in him. It just felt right to do that even though Sasuke hadn't wanted it.

She looked like she might spit fire in his face.

"Spar?" he offered, raising his hands in a placating manner when she advanced on him. In their dictionary, spar had somehow became the synonym of date, not like Naruto minded. He always felt thrilled whenever he was with Sasuke, especially when he was fighting her. It was probably because pursuing a relationship with Sasuke was like a battle itself. She was certainly a walking complex of battles and wars and challenges.

Sasuke's lips curled into a sneer; unlike Sabiru's, this was sweeter and more natural. Call him crazy, but he thought it only accented her beauty more, unlike what others would think of this expression.

Sasuke didn't need to smile to be pretty.

Naruto didn't tell her of course, no need to stroke her ego (which was already the size of three oceans). He hummed noncommittally before a sudden thought struck him.

"I just remember, I've meaning to ask how did you get into the barrier?" Sasuke scowled, eyeing him warily. "Did you use Hiraishin? You figured out how to use it?"

"No, Kakashi figured out how to use it. I forced him to teach me the handseals and I used your chakra stored in the tags. I was drained of chakra myself, it's a good thing you have extra storage there, hm?"

Naruto arched a brow which the girl ignored. He knew she was hiding something and he suspected it was for selfish reasons. But he chose not to pry. He knew that if he confronted her, she might just blow up.

No need to ruin a nice day with an argument.

**-felony of himself- **

* * *

**Author's Note:** Remember to vote in my profile, yeah? And check out my Naruto website, for more information though there'll be more spoilers. I hope this chapter isn't too rushed. The next one will be full of interludes and fluffs between NaruSasu before finally advance to the Sasuke Retrieval Arc.

Also, I have started a collab story with Steal-yo-Lunch, a Shikyomatsu!NarutoxFemItachi story. Check it out if you will. (It's called Bone Deep and can be found in my favorites' list.) Only the prologue's up, so don't be deterred by the chapter length. I have a new story up too, Full Circle, also a NaruFemSasu, under the time-travel genre.

Lastly, I am in need of a beta reader. Any volunteers or anyone willing?

Review, ne?


	10. Autumn Leaves

Quick A/N:** I feel that I must warn you that there'll be little/implied HashiMada, and if you don't like even the tiniest mentions of shonen ai, you can skip it. The flashbacks/letters are just motivation to Naruto - and my muse - so it's not necessary to read it. It's easy to tell, I made a different line-breaker for that part.**

* * *

**Felo de Se**

_written by GaleSynch_

_beta'ed by He-Who-Shall-Live_

**Chapter Ten: Autumn Leaves**

Kakashi was gifted with observant eyes, and Obito's gift only enhanced it.

He paid extra attention to Sasuke because he knew of her goals. He had been something akin to her "guardian angel" after the Massacre, he'd watched as his student cried herself to sleep, spend her time in her family's graveyard, and had heard as she called after a non-existent brother (whom, though she claimed to hate must've still loved dearly and was deeply hurt by his betrayal; why else would she swear vengeance?).

He knew Sasuke hated herself. He also knew the Uchiha hated her brother, and sought to kill him. She loved, craved power and sought for something to make her stronger.

He couldn't see any hope in her. The council had already declared her a hopeless case but they wanted powerful Uchiha children so they had watched her and let her grow. To put it bluntly, they wanted to use her as a breeding bitch.

Kakashi doubted it would work, especially after he got to know Sasuke better.

She can't be controlled by anyone. Or so she claimed anyway.

Sometimes, Kakashi was tempted to tell her that she was already being controlled by her hate. That she was playing right into her brother's hands.

It was hair-tearing frustrating to see her like that. He was tempted to confront her about it but he didn't dare, her goal to kill her brother was the only reason she had. If she lost the sole reason she had left, what would she have left? What was her purpose?

She would question herself and if she found her existence meaningless...

Kakashi did not want her to die. If she wanted to kill Itachi, then so be it. Sure, okay, but why can't she let them be by her side till the end? Did she not care about their bonds, her friends who are all watching her back?

Was the absent brother that much more important?

Of course, these were only his thoughts.

Kakashi knew he wasn't supposed to be the one to confront her. It had to be someone else, someone closer to her heart.

And he just knew who the person was.

**-felony of himself-**

_these eyes of mine are unbeatable... when you have the same eyes as I do... come to me... and we shall duel..._

_is your hate strong enough?_

_do you want eyes like mine?_

She clenched her fists, her blunt nails digging into her palm, biting skin and drawing blood. It wasn't that just most of the time his words haunted her; it was _every_ single moment.

_to gain them..._

"Sasuke!"

She turned, her scowl of indifference firmly in place—as it usually was—even when she came face to face with the boy she'd died to save.

She should've just let him die, let his own reanimated ancestor impale him. She'd feel guilt, she knew, and she also knew it'd also give her eyes more power. The power of the ultimate Sharingan: Mangekyou.

Why did she let him live?

Why would she care if he died or lived in the first place?

Why did she felt the sliver of sorrow at the thought of a world without him?

His smile was as blinding as always, sometimes brighter than the sun itself. She wondered if it was natural or if it was because of how she perceived his looks.

In her dark, dark world, he was the only bright spot. Her classmates who fawned over her when her clan was still alive shunned her, accused her of being insane for wanting to murder someone and make it her life goal, were terrified that being close to her would be dangerous as she had a killer-brother.

Boys who sought after her affection distanced themselves, the girls pretended she never existed and she did the same. She ignored them, breezed past them without so much as a glance and learned to stave off the loneliness, and eventually learned to be indifferent. Then this dope came into her life and disrupted it.

He poked, prodded and tested her mask. He wanted to see who she truly was and wanted to get to know her better.

(_Actually, Naruto, I really don't know who I am either._)

Ah, there, she said it, the complete and utter truth. Uchiha Sasuke was but a name, did it say anything at all about who she was?

"Sasuke? Sasuke!" Hands gripped her shoulders, like anchors, and pulled her back into reality instead of the bloody illusionary realm she loved to drift into from time to time.

Blue eyes, more concerned than ever, peered into her own dead onyx orbs.

"You're so distant these days, Sasuke," Naruto remarked.

Her automatic sarcastic response: "I'm simply impressed by your observation skills, Naruto. I believe I must do my best to catch up. How about a bowl of ramen to improve my eyesight?"

His bloody innocent response: "Oh, really? I didn't know you like ramen too, Sasuke! I'm sure it can help your eyes!"

Her eyebrow twitched. "You can't be serious."

He burst into laughter and Sasuke's heart warmed slightly. Okay, maybe it wasn't so bad to have saved his sorry ass. He grinned roguishly. "Maybe, maybe not!" he said cheerily, then he frowned. "Okay, what's _your_ problem?"

"Nothing." _Tell me, who I really am, what do I exist for?_

Naruto was not a mind-reader so, naturally, he didn't catch that. He furrowed his brows. "We're worried," he said. "Believe it or not, everyone's asking about you and since I'm closest to you..."

**_kill_**_ the _closest_ person to your heart_

"No!"

"What?" Naruto blinked, mystified as he was interrupted by the loud (for Sasuke anyway) outburst. He instantly noticed how pale her face was. "Is something wrong?" he demanded.

"Naruto... tell me, what am I to you?"

_Are _you_ worth living for?_

His cheeks went a curious shade of crimson. He shuffled nervously, finding sudden interest in his sandals. "Er..." his blue eyes darted about nervously. "Why do you ask?"

"Answer me."

"Uh... my... best friend," he struggled, blushing heavily. He hesitated, mumbling the rest of the word out. Sasuke didn't catch it and she didn't bother asking him to repeat himself. She was sure it was something petty like, _number one enemy_ or_ rival_.

(...love interest." Naruto winced, he didn't think she heard that and he hoped she didn't, though part of him sincerely wished she did. He really wanted to know her answer.)

When Sasuke started to just stare blankly at him, his cheeks turned a deeper shade of red. "W-Why do you ask?" he glared. "You're not making fun of me, are you?" he crossed his arms grumpily, glaring at her. "Well, what am I to you then?"

She knew she'd attain Mangekyou if she killed him. That was enough of an answer. He would never know. He wouldn't understand.

She turned to gaze at her village, wondering what was so wonderful about the place that the Sandaime would die for it and Naruto was willing to do the same. She found herself extremely reluctant to care about the place.

"Naruto... someday, I wish to fight you..."

He blinked, stunned. "But we spar all the time."

"A real fight."

His eyebrow twitched in annoyance; he didn't get it. "You have yet to answer me."

"You're..."_ A very precious person. A brother and comrade-in-arms._ There was this one last description but she was so unused to it, had never given it a thought that she couldn't bring herself to admit it, her cheeks darkened slightly and she turned away to hide the heat in her cheeks. "A very... important milestone."

He looked more than disappointed. "Oh?"

An uncomfortable silence settled—she had no experience and she didn't know how to express herself; he was raised a hermit, despite his charming personality, and pride held him back from saying the words that might change their path.

"Er, so, the fight," he babbled lamely. "do you want to, um, have a go now?"

This was an important event. An important milestone: to determine whether this village would provide her strength or not.

**-felony of himself-**

Sasuke nursed more than a bruised body.

Her body ached and screamed for rest but she refused to give in to her body's demands. Gritting her teeth, she allowed herself a moment's breath, resting her aching body on bent knees.

Her frustration was peaking and was driving her insane.

_(A triumphant grin, a wink, tired and battered, but his words were satisfied and proud: "Heh, it seems like I won this round, Sasuke."_)

This village had nothing to offer her.

(_"I hate this but... my godfather, he said he wanted to take me away from the village for personal training." Hopeful blue eyes boring into her tired onyx, so hopeful it seared her to the core with confusion. What did he want her to say? Demand him not to leave and stay in the village? Be her anchor to his village and this _meaningless**_painful_**hated_life?_)

She snarled, enraged, her fist connecting soundly with the trunk of a tree. It creaked, it groaned and it tumbled.

Nothing satisfied her. This was nothing.

This strength (just a tree she managed to fell) was a fluke. This life in this fucking village was a lie. She had to get away, away from this place which would only weaken her with their fucking idealism.

This was not the power she sought.

A life full of lie and peace was not what she wanted.

(_"Just you wait, Sasuke, I'll come back stronger than ever and then, we'll fight again!"_)

(_"You see, Uchiha Sasuke? You are weak. Come with us to Orochimaru-sama and you'll gain power like ours! Stronger even!"_)

(_"You are weak. Not enough hate. Not even worthy for me to kill. Cling onto your pathetic existence..."_)

"Sorry, Naruto, it seems that I won't be waiting for you after all."

**-felony of himself-**

Naruto's eyes snapped open. There was no sleepiness, no bleariness or reluctance to wake from his bed. He blinked, sliding his legs off his bed and pushed the window open, letting the night breeze fill the room. He glanced at the restless tree outside of his apartment building.

"You're trying to tell me something," he accused, sounding like a lunatic for talking to a tree.

The tree did not deny him.

_Leaving_, the leaves brushed against one another, forming deformed sounds only a Mokuton-user can hear. _She's leaving._

There was no question who she was. Naruto flew around his room, dressing himself and equipping himself within one minute. That had to be some sort of record.

_Where?_ he demanded, landing on the branches.

The branches twisted north and he was off.

He should've seen this coming, he chided himself. He should've done something to diffuse the situation but the problem was that he had absolutely no idea what her problem was.

Hate? Yes, she was driven by it, but she wasn't consumed by it. Not yet, at any rate.

Why hadn't he nipped the problem in the bud? Why hadn't he confronted her like Kakashi-sensei had _told_ him to? Why had he hesitated and _oh why was she leaving?_

Where had they gone wrong?

What had they lacked?

What had _he_ done?

Why did _she_ have to leave?

Why?

Because, the answer came easy and simple, there all along, he was scared that he'd lose ever faster if he confronted her. She was so unpredictable there was no telling what she'd do next.

"Sasuke!"

She turned, like she did so many times not so long ago, like she always did whenever he called her name. She stood more than an arm's length away and Naruto had the sinking feeling in his gut that if he didn't act now, didn't catch her now, she'd forever be away from his reach.

He tried to keep his cool, his voice was still slightly shaky despite his efforts to keep it level. "Where are you going?" he asked in a harsh whisper, trying to push the anger, frustration and resentment away.

She smiled. Not the way a normal person would smile, like they were greeting you, but more like she had finally decided how to kill you.

"Away. Nothing you can do to stop me."

"Why are you leaving?" he demanded, abandoning the whisper and raising his voice.

"I'm severing all the ties we have. The bond we share, I break it. I have a different bond now: the bond of hate."

"You expect me to hate _you_?" he laughed harshly, wishing this was just some sort of sick joke or a horrible nightmare he'd wake up from. "Are you crazy?!" he screamed. "What about the 'precious rival' you were saying earlier?!"

Her eyes narrowed. "I don't care anymore. I never did."

"That's a lie!" he yelled, defiant and loud. "If you never cared, why did you save my life? Twice!"

"You said it yourself," she turned, fully to face him, her eyes spinning into the deadly Sharingan. He blinked and she was gone. He was about to take a step forward when breath fanned his neck. He shuddered. Sasuke's voice came from behind him. "I saved your life. I suppose only I have the right to take it back, hm?"

His instincts kicked in and he jumped out of the way as her kunai was brought down.

She missed her mark but she didn't seem to mind. Her gaze was uncaring as she looked his way. "Why do you care?" she asked, curiosity momentarily driving away the edge of insanity there. "Whatever I do is none of your business."

"It is! I'm your friend!"

Her eyes narrowed. "Friends... that is but a word to describe a lie and weakness." Her eyes bled red and Naruto made the mistake of glancing into those dangerous orbs—

_you would never understand my pain_

He stumbled, crumpling to the ground, he was never the best in genjutsu, breaking or casting and with such lousy skills, facing a Sharingan was suicide. His blue eyes darkened, glazing over.

Sasuke glanced down apathetically. So easy, just a flick of her wrist, just a measly kunai and he'd be dead.

So why was she hesitating? Why was her hands shaking at the mere thought of killing Naruto?

"It won't be satisfying killing you in your sleep," she whispered and she wondered, as she stepped through the village gates, why it tasted like a lie.

**-felony of himself-**

Tsunade may be a Senju but she didn't have the Mokuton. She may have felt comfort in the forest and being surrounded by nature and no people, but that didn't mean she can communicate with trees like her grandfather and son were able to.

Naturally, it came as a huge surprise when she woke to the trees' whispers, actually thinking she could understand their secrets.

She blinked, rubbing the crust of sleep from her eyes and the drool dribbling down her chin and turned in her comfy office chair. She glared at the paperwork (no wonder Jiraiya had no wish to be the Hokage), wishing it would burn. She had fallen asleep on her desk, again!

She glanced to her side, seeing Shizune drooling over her own pile of paperwork and winced.

She really need a bottle of sake, and soon.

The whispers grew louder and she scowled, turning to the tree out of the Hokage Tower. "Shut up," she mumbled. The whispers only grew louder, the leaves brushing against one another urgently. She couldn't understand but she swore the noises were similar to—

**_naruto_**

Her baby!

She jerked to her feet, upturning her pile of paperwork and scaring the shit out of Shizune who jerked to her feet in alarm.

"W-what happened?" she yelled in panic, rubbing her eyes, thoroughly confused and wondering what was wrong. Tsunade made a mental note to tell Shizune about her training, being so not alert was not fitting of a shinobi (in the village or not).

"Where's Naruto?" Tsunade demanded, eyes ordering Shizune to sense him seeing as she was a sensory-nin.

Shizune pursed her lips in annoyance at having her beauty sleep interrupted but she did as told. Naruto's lively chakra was somehow _devastated_sleeping_restless_ which was unusual. And his chakra seemed disturbed and veiled—

"He's under a genjutsu," she noted with alarm.

"Where?"

"North Entrance—" Shizune jerked back as her master shot past her, out the door and through the streets of Konoha. She only wasted half a second blinking owlishly before she chased after her master. "Tsunade-sama!" she yelled. "Wait up! He's not in immediate danger!"

At least, she didn't think so. She couldn't sense any other person's chakra—though there were the lingerings of Uchiha's chakra—and Naruto's chakra wasn't hostile, he didn't even feel like fighting back against the genjutsu caster. She frowned suspiciously.

She was sure Sasuke trapped him in a genjutsu, and it seemed to be a high-leveled one, which meant serious business. She winced, if Tsunade-sama learned of that, Sasuke might be missing a few limbs.

She skidded to a halt, spotting her master kneeling over her son.

"He_ is_ under a genjutsu," Tsunade remarked, checking her son's unconscious form for any other injury and when she found none, she released a sigh of relief, wrapping the boy in her arms. Her strong and lithe frame trembled slightly and Shizune knew her master was shaken.

Tsunade was terrified of anything that would happen to Naruto and wanted to shield her little boy from the dangers of the world. Which was futile, Naruto was already making a name for himself in the world of shinobi and it wouldn't be long before he became a S-rank target with how rapidly he was growing.

"Sasuke-san's been here," Shizune said quietly, wondering how Tsunade would take the news.

Tsunade's face tightened.

She sighed heavily.

"I knew this was coming ever since I found out that Orochimaru marked that Uchiha," she pursed her lips in deep thought. "I just never thought that she would actually succumb to him so easily..."

Shizune winced.

"Well, she had very little to live for in this village anyway," she pointed out.

Tsunade exhaled gustily.

"Naru-chan will be devastated."

Shizune nodded in agreement.

"He'd run after her once he wakes," she hesitated. "Should we let him go?"

"Sasuke is the last Uchiha. She is valuable to the village and even more precious to my son. Wake him, gather the rest of the Genins! Send out a retrieval team for Uchiha Sasuke!"

Tsunade bit her lip as Shizune nodded, dispelling the genjutsu on her son and shaking him awake before she left to gather the Genins.

She hoped she wouldn't regret this.

**-felony of himself-**

Yamanaka Ino needed her beauty sleep to not have pimples or any blemishes on her pretty face. And whichever asshole—Hokage's assistant or not—who would dare to interrupt her, she'd murder.

As it was, being woken up in the middle of night by her mother, claiming that the Hokage demanded her presence for an urgent mission, she was already snarling like a demon with the refusal at the tip of her tongue.

Until, of course, Shizune said that this mission involved Sasuke and Naruto. She would do almost anything for her crush (skipping beauty sleep included, but just recently) but she wasn't all that keen on helping Sasuke.

There wasn't anything she liked or cared about the Uchiha. Sure, she admired the Uchiha girl for her looks and skills and family. She also pitied her for her tragic past but her personality made the girls dislike and generally avoid one another. Ino was also not so subtly jealous of the Uchiha for managing to garner the Senju's affections whereas she'd failed.

It was a great blow to her pride.

But when she heard that Sasuke had defected, her sleepy and hazy mind had woke, already imagining what a disaster the Senju would be.

She spluttered.

"I - I'll be at the Hokage Tower in ten," she promised hastily but before she left, she grabbed Shizune's arm. She licked her lips hesitantly. "I dunno what use is this but you should get Choji and Shika, they're smart and capable—"

Shizune smiled.

"I know, I'm going to them now. Thanks." And she was gone, running back into the darkness.

Ino felt a foreboding feeling gnawing at her gut and she probably would've just stood there and continue pondering had her mother not called her and reminded her of her mission.

_Sasuke... why are you doing this to yourself? To Naruto-kun and us?_

Ino and Sasuke weren't particularly close even when they were in the Academy, before the Massacre. Sasuke believed that all the kids were shallow and weren't worthy of her time and even when they did talk, all she spoke about was how awesome her aniki was.

Yeah, just look at how he turned out.

Ino couldn't even begin to imagine the hurt and betrayal she must've felt but she cursed the Uchiha. She knew what it was like to be betrayed, so why did she betray Naruto's trust?

Even after the Chuunin Exams and they were on better terms now, they were barely friends, allies and acquaintances were more like it. But everyone was determined to form a bond with the lonely and closed-off Uchiha, willing to give her a chance at the Senju's insistence.

Did she not believe in them?

What about the bonds they shared?

She shook her head, disappointed and somber. "Shit has really hit the fan, huh?"

**-felony of himself-**

Naruto had never thought waiting was so fucking excruciating. It was to Sasuke's credit that she managed to draw such a reaction from him even though she wasn't there at the moment.

His heart twisted at the thought of losing her to Orochimaru.

Fuck those assholes. He was going to get her back. By hook or by crook.

Within ten minutes, as promised, his friends were flitting into the room through the window. He studied his team critically. Team Ten was fully present. Kiba and Neji were summoned too. Naruto felt disappointment simmering in his gut. This was it? What if they weren't enough?

"So, we're Sasuke's Retrieval Team, huh," Kiba smirked. "Knew she was grand. Didn't think it was this grand."

"This is serious business, Kiba," Naruto said, fists clenching, his face unusually somber and serious, anger etched somewhere along the lines. "If we lose..."

Tsunade crossed her hands, resting her chin on her joined hands, her face as grim as her son's.

Kiba had always thought Naruto looked nothing like Tsunade, resembling his father more, but now that they were wearing the same expression, it finally cemented that Tsunade and Naruto were related.

And, wow, even more mind-blowing, the Yondaime slept with a much older woman!

Naruto was practically royalty in Konoha, his ancestors and parents were Hokages! No wonder Sasuke snapped and succumbed to her jealousy!

He stole a glance at his friend's face; better not say that thought out loud lest he hated where his head was.

"Shikamaru," the Senju woman was saying. "I assign you as team captain, seeing as you're the only one who made Chuunin." Kiba scowled at the reminder of his failure in the Chuunin Exams but chose not to whine about it now. "Any objections or questions?"

Ino raised her hand and everyone's eyes zeroed in on her.

"Yes?" Tsunade asked.

Ino flushed, suddenly feeling like poking her fingers together nervously like Hinata often did. "I, uh..." she licked her lips nervously. "Sasuke's being escorted by Orochimaru's minions, right? They must be strong. I don't think I can—"

Shizune interrupted her. "I sent for you because you are the fastest kunoichi we have of Genin level and available. Sakura isn't too reliable," she grimaced. "If your team needs help, you can always run back for reinforcements."

Ino nodded, still not too convinced but decided that the longer they dally, the less chance they will have of saving Sasuke.

Naruto thought the same and he was already out of the window even before Tsunade had finished saying go. The rest of the Genin scrambled after him.

Shizune studied them carefully with pursed lips.

"Is this all right?" she glanced at her teacher who was glaring out at the window. She got no answer.

"It's repeating again, history is repeating itself..." Tsunade hissed under her breath. She flexed her fingers, shifting uncomfortably as she recalled the sadness on her grandfather's face when he told her the story of how he lost his best friend (whom she suspected was more than just a '_best friend_').

"I bet that Naruto won't win," she announced grimly, hoping that her streak of bad luck would strike true. That she'd lose the bet and Naruto would win and bring his Uchiha back.

* * *

_"Tsunade-sama!"_

_A shriek, helpless and desperate her name was on the Yamanaka's lips, and she turned, her heart thudding erratically against her ribcage. She recognized the look, and the girl didn't need to say more._

_"It's Naruto—"_

_Ino's words were drowned out._

_She'd won her bet._

* * *

"Sasuke!"

She rose at the call of her name, so familiar and intimate when spoken by him and she loved how her name sounded when he said it.

Her neck ached, where the Cursed Seal was.

She frowned in momentary confusion when she saw a pale man engaging Naruto in battle. The sight of Naruto's demonic cloak stole her breath away.

He was on all fours, canines sharper than Kiba's and claws where his fingernails were. His eyes were now red and angry slits. The marks on his face thickened into whiskers' mark and he was cloaked in red. There was not a vine or two around him, the grass beneath him were scorched and eroding from the Kyuubi's poisonous chakra.

She pursed her lips. Leaving him behind was going to be troublesome.

"Uchiha Sasuke," the pale man with bones sticking out in all directions called. "Head to Lord Orochimaru, I will deal with this menace."

She sneered. "You don't command me," she spat but she turned and walked away, feeling light-headed at the power-boost. But the extra power wouldn't be enough to beat Itachi. She still needed Orochimaru, it seems, as distasteful as it sounds; she forced her feet to carry her further _away from Naruto_.

She skidded to a halt, confronted by the gushing waterfall which her ancestor's statue stood opposite of. It suddenly occurred to her that the legendary Uchiha had been in her position before, defecting from the village and having a Senju friend tailing and—

"Sasuke!"

_...said friend was fucking persistent and not understanding_.

She jumped, landing nimbly on a boulder protruding in the river. Naruto growled, doing the same, landing on a boulder opposite of her.

"Sasuke, you don't know what you're doing! Come back with me!"

Sasuke narrowed her eyes faintly.

"I have no plans of ever returning," she said coldly. "but your presence here is beneficial. For me to have the same eyes as my brother, I will kill you."

Naruto's face hardened.

"You wouldn't."

"Try me."

"Bullshit!"

She lunged, her seal reacted, ink bleeding across her skin and her hand crackled with the starts of Chidori. Naruto's eyes widened, unable to believe Sasuke would really thrust a Chidori ("_I'm teaching this to Sasuke so that she may be able to protect herself, protect her friends better..._") his way and he—didn't have_ time_ to use Hirashin—tried to sidestep.

Pain, rending and searing pain flared from his right shoulder.

He refrained from screaming.

He fell, supporting himself on one knee as his free hand clutched his numb right hand. He glared over his shoulder at Sasuke who was skimming on the waters. Against his will, his canines grew, piercing his lips, forcing him to part his mouth wider. His hair spiked up even further, his skin burned and he felt the wound Sasuke inflicted knitting together.

"Why are you doing this?!" he screamed, raw anger and confusion boiled when he saw the Uchiha's apathetic expression. "Why are you choosing to sever our bonds?!"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed the slightest bit, easily sidestepping his punches; when Naruto glanced into her eyes for the briefest of moments, out of sheer frustration, he saw the third tomoe. So her Sharingan was complete; what other Sharingan was she talking about?

"Sasuke," he whispered desperately, as she charged up on another Chidori. "Please, Sasuke, realize that Orochimaru is only using you—"

Sasuke hissed.

"You think it's just about power and Orochimaru? Don't try to pretend like you understand how I feel! All the years of loneliness, of pain and hatred! You never know how I feel, you've never lost a family — you have the picture perfect life, don't you Senju?!" She screamed, anguish coloring her voice, as she pushed herself forward, Chidori bright as it was aimed at his heart. "I lost _everything_!"

Naruto, Kyuubi's chakra still cloaking him protectively, snatched her wrist, much to her amazement. She learned rather quickly that his speed was enhanced when he had the Kyuubi's chakra; she sneered, trying to free herself but his chakra-empowered strength prevent her from doing so.

He met her eyes seriously.

"What about Konoha? What about _me_?" She glared harder, her Sharingan spinning rapidly ever few seconds, restless and confused. "We're still your family."

Enraged, she ripped her hand from his grip, scowling at the burnt skin there. The Kyuubi's chakra was truly poisonous. She glared at him.

"It's different. That accursed village will never be a replacement for my parents—" _my brother_ "—don't bother!" She sneered coldly. "Don't bother trying to convince me either, I'm confident this time around, I will win this battle. Can you even scratch my headband, Senju?"

Just _Senju_ now, no longer _Naruto_ or_ dope_ because their days together were long over.

He snarled, Kyuubi feeding off of his anger and judging by how upset he was, he couldn't really control the monster. Naruto swallowed, this was an important battle, if he borrowed the Kyuubi's chakra... he gnashed his teeth together, it was worth it.

_Kyuubi, just a little more!_

The Nine-Tails' _a little more_ concept was terribly fucked up.

Naruto roared, his vision painted crimson as power surged through him. He felt as if he could take on all five Kages together—never mind Sasuke.

The Uchiha's eyes widened when he lunged with renewed speed, nearly clawing her face off and he sorely regretted the action. He landed on the water, blinking rapidly and trying to bring his mind and body under control lest he truly kill the girl.

_Kill... Sasuke...?_

His heart lurched at the thought. Impossible. And, despite what she said, he believed in their bond, in her actions which spoke louder than words; he knew, she wouldn't kill him no matter what she said.

His Sasuke wasn't like that.

"Don't bother holding back," Sasuke snarled, activating her curse seal.

Naruto's eyes widened when, before his very eyes, Sasuke's skin darkened to ash grey, the bridge of her nose darkened to black, forming a star. Her short shoulder-lengthed hair grew, reaching the small of her back, lightening till it was a sickly azure blue. From her back, webbed like hands sprouted, a mockery of wings but it granted her the power of flight.

He refrained from gaping, anger momentarily forgotten.

She leaped into air, hovering before she zeroed in on him and dived, Chidori now pure black and even more powerful than before.

He inhaled sharply even as he created the Rasengan with one hand. Silhouetted against the glaring sun, he thought she looked like an angel.

He didn't have time to ponder, Kyuubi urging him to meet the girl mid-air and he did.

He couldn't see anything but he felt pain at the point of his knuckles when their attack collided. Black dome of energy surrounded them and Naruto couldn't even see anything.

But he knew, just knew that he couldn't do it—use Rasengan seriously against his first love (and the girl he still was very much in love with) and so he didn't.

The Rasengan died, but his shortening claws came in contact with metal and he pulled.

Pain erupted from his chest, his heart. He expected for the pain and numbing effect of Chidori to come but none did. He fell, his head connecting soundly with solid ground.

His brain must've been mush by now.

His eyes struggled to remain open but eventually, he gave in to the comforting darkness and when he dreamed, it was filled to the brim with a pale and beautiful girl with the coldest and precious of smiles.

**-felony of himself-**

Sasuke landed on the hind of her legs.

She whirled around to face Naruto, her curse form receding once she deemed the fight over. She limped towards Naruto, hand reaching out to touch his face before she hesitated.

She gazed at the kunai strapped to his kunai holster and wondered just how easy it was to kill him, how easy it was to gain the Mangekyou and she knew his death would give her power. She, worn out and confused and so full of hate she was tired, sat on Naruto's limp body, finding him extremely comforting. She recalled the times he'd kissed her and hugged her, and her heart bubbled with warmth.

Was she ready to kill this source of warmth? The only person in this world who ever made her feel she was worthy? This boy who only looked at her and saw her for her, not the Last Uchiha or the clan head's daughter or Uchiha Itachi's little sister... she couldn't kill him.

She rested her forehead on his, swapping the headband away from his forehead to feel his warmth properly. He was heating up and she grimaced—nothing too disastrous, fortunately.

Her hand wrapped around his neck, choking him slightly; he made a soft sound of discomfort and she released him instantly, watching as the mild discomfort on his face dissolved but he still looked troubled—she wondered if it was because of her. She leaned further down, her lips brushing his but she didn't apply pressure, merely hovering there. But she stiffened when she felt the tell-tale signs of Kakashi approaching them.

She grimaced, looking at Naruto.

"Don't stop chasing me, you idiot."

And she stood, turned her back to Konoha and stepped into the forest, and through the threshold of the Land of Fire.

* * *

_"Sasuke... don't go..."_

_A grimace painted the masked-man's lips. He glanced behind his shoulder where his limp student was resting. Dazed, sleepy and hurt blue eyes of Minato-sensei's met Kakashi's sole grey eye._

_"Where's... S'ke?"_

_"I'm sorry, Naruto. She's gone."_

_Minato-sensei's son buried his face in his vest, Kakashi didn't say anything when he felt the tremors shaking the young body and the muffled sobs and whimpers._

_Kakashi remembered a time he had been like that; he wondered if he had been as heartbroken when he lost Obito and Rin. For the latter, he did not cry. For the former, for the Uchiha, his own eye had shed tears._

Do the Uchiha only know how to cause heartbreaks?

_Kakashi felt torn between laughing and crying along with his student._

_The first maniacal chuckles slipped and he hurriedly sobered up when he felt Naruto stiffen against him, fists clenching, misinterpreting the gesture._

_"Naruto... we'll find her someday. We'll bring her back."_

Obito can't be brought back, but Sasuke's salvageable. I won't let what happened to Obito happen to Sasuke.

* * *

_"Kukuku... you didn't kill Naruto-kun, Sasuke-chan?"_

_She scowled, distaste clear on her face but at least she made an effort to hide it. "He is not worth killing," she scoffed, her heart wrenching at the thought of really shoving a Chidori through his chest. She crossed her arms to hide her unease, turning her cheek away. "I will not resort to Itachi's level. I shall gain power my own way."_

_Orochimaru had the nerve to laugh._

_"Really now, Sasuke-chan? Nothing sentimental whatsoever?"_

_Her face hardened. "No."_

_He will come after her. For her. He will be there._

_He _had_ to._

_Because, once she killed Itachi, if Naruto wasn't there anymore, what else would she have left?_

* * *

_"I will bring her back Sakura-chan, this is a promise of the lifetime!" His grin dimmed slightly, turning into a wistful smile as he turned his bandaged head to look out the window, at the autumn leaves falling like tears. "To you, to her, and... to myself."_

* * *

**-felony of himself-**

Naruto gazed at the grey and snowy sky with empty blue eyes.

Mechanically, he held out a hand to catch the snowflake. He crushed it in his fist, feeling it melt in his grasp. His face was saddened as was the downward tug of his lips. He wondered what Sasuke thought of the snow; was she apathetic, hated it or did she bask in it?

He didn't know and he couldn't bring himself to feel anything for winter anymore.

"Sasuke..." he whispered, his fists clenching harder. He turned away angrily, but he tensed, finding himself facing the path opposite of the Uchiha district. The path was worn and less-used. He knew why.

There was where the Senju Clan Compound once resided in. He pursed his lips, before his feet carried him down the path. He felt the pain and loneliness of the trees residing there, lacking the joy of life. Naruto made a mental note to pester his mother about this place, rebuild the Compound.

He came to a halt, facing broken and burnt buildings.

He took a few steps forward to the wreckage, there was nothing notable and no indication any secret passageways survived the Kyuubi's tails.

It was meaningless. Bitter, Naruto turn his back to his clan grounds and was about to storm away when a tree root snagged his leg and a branch slapped his head. Angrily, he slapped them away, mood foul until the leaves stiffened and pointed in a direction, downwards and a little further west.

Curiosity took over annoyance as he studied the area.

He stepped onto the wooden floors, burnt and walked around, purposefully loud. Echoes, he heard echoes, which meant that there was space beneath him right?

Excited to have something to take his mind off Sasuke—his heart ached—he started mulling about for a shovel. He stopped trying to dig the ground with a floorboard when the leaves, not so politely and nicely, told him that he could just punch his way through.

If there were trees that could sound condescending, they would those near the Senju Compound. Naruto grumbled, regretting having ever felt sorry for them.

If this was how they acted around everyone, he could totally understand why everyone isolated the area.

He sneered as he punched the ground, watching with satisfaction as the ground caved. He dropped down, it took a few moments for his eyes to adjust in the darkness and even when he could make out faint outlines, he moved carefully, forcing trees to grow down there to get to know his surroundings better.

Naruto stared at the right wall, it was the darkest part of the room and he was about to inspect it further when the leaves rustled by his ear, telling that the wall was but a wall and that he was looking at the wrong direction for something interesting. He growled, swallowing his embarrassment and carefully making his way around the wreckage.

Naruto fumbled for the switch, not expecting it to work but it did. Weak light flooded the dim basement and Naruto wondered how anyone could miss this.

After looking around, he noticed the seals placed. His punch and time had worn it out. He ripped the seal off the wall, inspecting it critically, suddenly reminded of Kisuke before he shoved the seal into his winter coat and continued mulling about.

He wondered who's library this belonged to.

**hashirama**

Naruto glanced up from the scroll he was reading, stared at the vine curled comfortably around him and smiled weakly. No wondered there were so many techniques on Mokuton. He fingered the scroll, deciding to take as much as possible before he brought on the sealing scroll.

It was time to improve anyway.

Perhaps his great-grandfather's scrolls could help him advance his Mokuton, but of course, he was going to make some techniques of his own, he didn't want to strike the world as a copy-cat ninja like his sensei.

He unrolled a new set of scrolls, ready to devour the knowledge in there when all that fell from it were a bunch of letters. He stiffened, thinking that it was a trap to ensnare those who might try to read the scroll. Carefully, he shuffled away, placing the scrolls he'd gathered on the desk which had lost a huge chunk of parts.

With a snap of his fingers, he repaired the desk, chairs and some of the shelves. He was tempted to conceal the ceiling too, lest someone bother him or the snow to bury this place, but he figured that he wouldn't be staying in that uncomfortable place for long anyway.

He slid into his seat, his scrolls making another unceremonious thump, drawing an echo from the surface. Naruto was impressed by how paranoid his great-grandfather was, to conceal so many secret places.

He brought his chakra-empowered fist down.

Dust swirled into his face and he choked, blinking and rubbing his eyes. He pushed away the debris, squinting through the thick haze of dust and managed to make out the faint outline of a small journal.

He picked it up, noticing the messy scrawl: _Hashirama_, he managed to make out and started flipping through the yellowed with age pages. He wrinkled his nose at the foul smell of the old book, wondering if lizards and cockroaches had crawled in and pooed or laid their eggs.

He decided not to find out when he spotted a trail of slimy yellow liquid and grimaced.

Whatever his great-grandfather did was not his problem, he decided and would've closed the book and placed it back where he found it if not for the word _Uchiha_.

He frowned. _Let's see..._

**_千手柱間_**

_He's crazy nervous._

_But that is to be expected as it isn't everyday his dream is about to be realized. His brother and cousin kicked him out of the room with the promise of joining him later, they can't stand his pacing and gloomy 'what if's._

_It's a very huge, life-changing what if, like, what if Madara doesn't agree to the truce?_

_He wrings his hand together, feeling like tearing his hair out of frustration but a familiar chakra signature flaring prevents him from doing anything idiotic. He straightens and strides to the middle point of the cliff, trying to look as leader-like as possible ("You look stupid," says Tobirama meanly)._

_His heart races like crazy when he sees Madara._

_The Uchiha's no longer wearing his battle armor; just plain indigo long-sleeved shirt, boots and gloves, his eyes are spinning with the Sharingan, still wary and he doesn't know if he's just seeing things, but Hashirama thinks he sees Madara relaxing when he approaches with an easy smile._

_He extends his hand._

_Madara hesitates, his eyes studying the Senju's hand as if he can see all the lies and honesty written in the lines of his hands. Hashirama's heart races a mile a second, his eyes suddenly hypersensitive, picking up little details of everything in sight. Little things such as how prominent creases have already developed under Madara's eyes, how his hair is sticking to his back and how his unmanly scent of lavender mixed with pine smoke drifts up his nose because he's just recently showered._

_(His eyes also picks up on the glares directed at Madara and he wonders if his old friend is being forced into this truce than accepting it willingly.)_

_He lowers his voice, taking a step closer, aware of the many glances thrown his way._

_"You know you can trust me," he whispers, choosing to ignore the snort of disbelief. "It's time to realize the dream we shared, no? What's taking so long?" he smirks when his friend glares at him. "Scared?"_

_A strong, thin and slender calloused hand grips his in a firm grip. Madara's applying more pressure than necessary and his lips are but a thin angry line, but Hashirama doesn't mind, he's smiling like an idiot and his brother glares at him, a silent warning to be more serious._

_The autumn wind picks up, blowing fallen and dried leaves to their faces._

_Hashirama used to dislike this season as it is the time where the trees cry and die, but now, as his dream is being build on his friend's and his own intertwined hands, he thinks that this autumn is going to be the most memorable one._

_Hashirama blinks, looking down at their hands when Madara's grip loosens._

_He smiles disarmingly, releasing his friend's hand but his other hand reaches up to pick the leaf from his hair. Madara stiffens under his brief touch and glares at him for doing such but he ignores the shushes whispers and inspects the leaf._

_"Have you thought of a name for our village yet?"_

_"Our?" his friend repeats suspiciously and Hashirama refrains from sighing, it might take a while to beat the suspicion out of him._

_"Yes. Our," he says dryly. "That is of course you want to have no part in what our clan—"_

_"Shut up, I'm naming it..." Hashirama smiles slightly but tries to suppress it lest Madara thinks he's mocking him. Sharingan flits to the leaf in his hand, then to the horizon where leaves are scattering in the air and he says, "Leaf... Konohagakure no Sato."_

_"Doesn't sound very—"_

_"_Hashirama_."_

_His friend blinks languidly, and Hashirama sees the start of the Mangekyou in his eyes, recognizing the warning but he smiles anyway; he finds that he likes how his name sounds on the other man's tongue and his heart thumps in agreement._

_He releases the leaf in his hand because he's got his own Leaf now._

**_千手柱間_**

Naruto scoffed when he read about how Konoha came to be. _Madara seemed fickle minded_, he mused, amused and he could easily imagine the man's face in such a situation.

He reread the pages. Naruto frowned, finding something amiss but he dismissed the feeling for now. He flipped through the next few pages, spanning the days of Konoha's birth. He found that his ancestor wasn't as serene or as calm as people of this day and age depicted him to be.

Hashirama was a total klutz in comparison to Madara.

Naruto blinked, smiling slightly when he found that description fit him and Sasuke too.

His heart ached, recalling the Uchiha's departure and his finger froze above the yellowed pages. He flipped the book the to the last dozen pages or so, skimming through them, he wanted to know how the Kami of Shinobi managed to get over his Uchiha's defection and death.

(Fortunately, no one died in his battle even though his friends came close to death and he had an ugly scar.)

There, he found it, a year from the first entry concerning the birth of Konoha and...

**_千手柱間_**

_He winces when Madara all but storms out of the room. From across the room, he sees Tobirama smirks in satisfaction and he feels like reprimanding his brother._

_Desperately, he glances out the window, seeing Madara's silhouette against the sun, the autumn leaves fluttering about him, he looks breathtakingly beautiful (and dangerous). As if sensing his gaze, Madara glances up and glares when he meets Hashirama's gaze._

_I hope you're happy, Shodai-sama. I'm not staying. You can keep on playing if you want to, but I'm not. I'm sick and tired of this farce._

_"Wait—"_

_But Madara flickers and he's gone._

_Hashirama foolishly assumes that his friend has just left to cool himself down and when he's finally not angry anymore, he'll come back and everything will go back to the way it was. The way it's supposed to be._

_Middle of the night, he's still not sleeping, he's restless as he paces his room. Something's amiss, he thinks and to clear his mind, he pushes the window open, inhaling the scent of nature and night rolled into one—_

**_he's leaving_**

_He stills; there's no question who he is. He turns and runs. He doesn't bother noticing his brother who jerks back in shock when he barrels out of his study and out of the house like the wind._

_"Hashirama!" his brother calls for him. "Get back you idiot! Don't go after him!"_

_Only after he's returned that Hashirama will yell at his brother for not notifying him. Or maybe he'll just blame himself for not noticing the new bruises Tobi's spotting for the admirable effort of trying to stop his older brother's insane friend._

_But he doesn't bother, he's running, faster and forcing himself to go faster, than ever._

_Since when has Madara been so important? Did he even run so fast to save Itama from the Uchiha surrounding the little boy? Had he felt such a heart wrenching sensation when he imagines what would happen if he doesn't make it in time to save Kawarama?_

_Some part of Hashirama idly wonders why he is even bother trying. When Madara sets himself a goal, he doesn't relent nor does he backs down._

_He's never listened to Hashirama before, what makes him think this time will be different?_

_That doesn't matter now. All that matters now is reaching Madara, convincing him and bringing him back._

_But above all, he must see him._

**_千手柱間_**

Naruto squeezes his eyes shut, reopening them again, and when there was no wet spot on the book, he exhaled, relieved that he hadn't shed a tear. He wouldn't show such weakness, crying meant that Sasuke was beyond reach anymore and she wasn't too far gone. He could still save her from the darkness—

With great effort (did he still want to know more of a story that ended in tragedy?) he turned to the next page.

He blinked in surprise when he saw the dead leaf residing within. An autumn leaf. Written on the leaf was: _I will bring him back_.

Naruto instantly felt a surge of pity for his great-grandfather's disposition. He knew his history, he'd been to the Valley of the End himself, had fought there with his precious Uchiha as well.

Naruto read on, despite knowing what would happen in the end, he felt immensely sorry for his deceased ancestor, he held hope but it was crushed.

It wouldn't happen to him, Naruto swore history won't repeat itself.

Sasuke was not Madara, she was different from the ancient Uchiha. She wasn't as far gone as him and he could still save her—

_So why on earth did he sound like he's trying to convince himself?_

**_千手柱間_**

_History books are all lies._

_Hashirama realize this much later, after his battle is done and his friend gone._

_He doesn't meet Madara at the Valley of the End, he meets the man in an inn, in a small village off the map. Madara blinks coolly at him, not at all surprised at seeing his disheveled and sleep-starved face. In contrast to him, Madara is well-clothed, neat and seems to have had a good amount of sleep because the bag under his eyes aren't so bad anymore._

_"You look like shit," his old friend says plainly and he does not argue; he chuckles in agreement._

_Madara's leaning against the pillar but when Hashirama advances, entering the inn, he relents, uncrossing his long, lean legs and straightening._

_They stroll past the innkeeper who's blushing madly as she gazes at Madara, who swiftly ignores her. But he does not ignore Hashirama intruding in on him in his room._

_Both men keep their mouth shut as they settle down after a clean bath on Hashirama's part. Neither want to breach the subject, to break the tranquil peace._

_But as usual, Hashirama has trouble keeping his mouth shut._

_"Why?"_

_Madara's eyes harden. "You will never understand."_

_"Is this about Izuna?"_

_"No." Hashirama can tell it's a lie; he knows his friend well enough now. "Now stop asking."_

_"Will you come back?"_

_Madara's eyes meet his, furiously bright over the rim of the teacup he's holding. "What do you think?"_

_"I have absolutely no idea," confesses Hashirama. "You've always been hard to read. Half the time, I have no idea what you're thinking."_

_Madara's lips press into a thin line, pleased._

_Hashirama reaches into his satchel, and pulls out the journal he will someday find himself keeping and hiding in his underground library. He tears a page from the book, handing it to a befuddled Madara. He places a jug of ink and a fine brush before him and smiles._

_"You know what to do, right?"_

_"Write something I presume," Madara sneers, sarcasm coloring his speech as he snatches the sheet of paper from Hashirama. "What is it? Do you want me to write your will?"_

_Hashirama allows himself a small smile; for now, he'll pretend that they are just friends conversing their interests, not the impending doom and end to their friendship. He's not ready to lose his first and best friend yet._

_"Your thoughts."_

_"It's private."_

_He nods._

_"I know," he says placidly. "That's why I'm writing my own and you can keep yours. I just want to see you write, that means you are not a simple-minded man—"_

_"Are you shitting _me_?"_

_"...Let's just start writing."_

_Hashirama writes with elegant strokes of his brush while Madara draws furiously, and Hashirama has half a mind that he's drawing obscene and demeaning pictures of him, he smothers the laugh when Madara raises his eyes and glares at him. He knows that Madara finds this activity stupid and a complete waste of his time but that's what Hashirama wants._

_Stall the inevitable after all._

_And when Madara leaves, he allows him to slip past the threshold, like sand falling from the cracks of his fingers._

_He knows, had always known since he's begun this fruitless journey to bring his friend (who somehow meant the whole world) back, that Madara is a free-spirit and there's nothing he can do to truly keep the man in one place._

_But he won't be hard to find: he's like the fire he breathes, scorching and leaving a terrible mark in its wake._

**_千手柱間_**

Naruto inhaled sharply. He didn't read the rest because he knew stalling only led to inevitable disaster. Groaning in frustration because reading the journal did nothing but remind him of Sasuke, he stood creaking his neck, hearing the bones pop and another sigh escaped his lips.

He glanced up at the winter sky, darkening as nightfall descended.

He stood, deciding that he could bring the scrolls back with him tomorrow. As he turned, ready to leave, his eye caught the discarded papers from the scroll earlier—the scroll which contained only papers.

On impulse, he reached down and picked it up.

The words written were not of his ancestor's handwriting, not the elegant curved words. But sharp and angled and precise. This was not Hashirama's writing, more like—

_I don't want him to stop running after me—_

The paper was crumpled, like this letter was a failed attempt and Naruto scrambled for the rest of the papers he'd dropped earlier.

_I want him to remember me—_

Just a sentence that the writer had discarded. Most of the letters were the same, all but one.

_This is stupid. I should be planning my attack on Konoha, not playing calligraphy with this crazy man before me. But, somehow, I find that I don't mind all that much. I would crush Konoha underfoot anyway, as I, not in an act of narcissism, is just that great. Actually, attacking Konoha is the only I can think of._

_I knew, ever since Izuna died, I could never lead a normal, peaceful life like the rest are ready and willing to._

_I was born, bred and raised in war. The battlefield is my home, no doubt about it. If Izuna was alive... perhaps I could've lived with it but he's gone now... so that option is out of the window._

_And there's also my ungrateful brethren's abandonment. Damn them! I warned them and they ignored me! Yes, I agree that Hashirama wouldn't oppress the Uchiha but what about his little brother? What about the rest of them influenced by that white-haired asshole?_

_I could go on and on forever describing the white freak asshole, and how much I hate him but time's running out and Hashirama's eyes are just fucking distracting—_

_It's like he's trying to draw the answers out of me with his soulful gaze. Yeah right, like that'll work. He might as well wait for the world to end._

_I sneered._

_Now, that wasn't such a bad idea, was it? Except that the idiot sitting in front of me will stop me, for sure. I know he'll follow me to the ends of the world itself and somehow, the thought of dying in battle with him doesn't seem too bad._

_I want something from him: one last fight. The last one we'll ever have and I'll be satisfied. No... there are still many things I want from him but a battle would be enough in this lifetime._

_I could also use this chance to unite Konoha, let them have the thought that Uchiha Madara will come back, and he'll strike hard and fast. Yes, they will cower under Hashirama's shadow, the only man capable of defeating me. They will be united under him, then, no more worries about dispute breaking out once Hashirama asserts his strength._

_I scowled. Why does it seem as if I'm doing that asshole a favor?_

_What could he give me in return?_

_What he had, he already gave; his friendship, his dreams and utter devotion. It's time I repay him._

_I'll make his dream come true. An enemy of an enemy is a friend. Yes, if everyone is against one enemy, against me, they will be united. World peace is what he wants right?_

_Just...—No, such a legacy will suffice._

_He won't—can't—forget me. He'll keep running after me and try to "stop" me. Ha, make me!_

_I know he won't give up and for that reason alone, I wait for him._

Naruto blinked, dazed. The last sentence affected him greatly. Was that what Sasuke was thinking too? Was she waiting for him now?

"Sasuke..."

"Naruto!"

The blonde Senju fumbled, sliding the letters and his great-grandfather's journal into his winter coat, glancing up where his mother was glaring down at him.

He gulped.

"Hey, mom," he greeted lamely, realizing that his teeth were chattering and it wasn't entirely because of the cold either. "Whatcha doing here?"

"How dare you sneak out of the hospital!"

"Ow!" Naruto rubbed the back of his head where his mother had punched him (fortunately, not with her enhanced strength or he'd be Naru-pancake). "What was that for?" he grumbled, his grip on the journal sliding.

Tsunade frowned suspiciously.

"What's that?"

Naruto swallowed uncomfortably; how to wriggle out of this one again? Tsunade snatched the letters out of his grip, scanning them and Naruto saw his mother's eyebrows climb higher than her hairline when she read the contents of the letter.

"Mom... what if Sasuke was thinking along the same lines as Madara?"

His mother scoffed, unconvinced. "All right, maybe he wasn't as rotten as I'd originally thought. But he's different from your Uchiha. Yours seek power to kill a certain man, this Uchiha on the other hand wants world-domination and is merely justifying his actions as helping a friend." She scoffed loudly. "Yeah, right."

Naruto clenched his fists.

"I'm going to Orochimaru's lair," he declared, watching with mild satisfaction as the letter slid from Tsunade's fingers as she openly gaped at him. "I don't care how, when or where, I'm going!"

"To your own death?!"

"If that's what it takes to bring Sasuke back," he said seriously, turning his back to his mother who frowned at him.

This matter of obsession had been brought up to her by Jiraiya, she had even hired a Yamanaka for drastic actions. She placed a hand on his shoulder, forcing him to turn and when he did, she punched his lights out.

Her son crumpled to the ground with a thud.

"This is for you own good, Naru-chan," Tsunade whispered softly.

Her statement was true, just not the whole truth. Tsunade had lost everything precious to her, and Naruto was her everything, she wouldn't—couldn't—lose him to anyone or anything else. That path was the only solution left. She just hoped he wouldn't remember and hate her for it.

**-felony of himself-**

An autumn leaf fell on his head.

Frowning, fourteen-year-old Senju Naruto brushed the leaf off, but more just rained down on him. He sighed, the autumn leaves really loved annoying him.

He gazed at the leaf he held, somehow, for some unknown reason, unwilling to let the leaf go.

He frowned, clutching onto the autumn leaf desperately; there was something, something important he wasn't remembering and the leaf was a clue—

He had a splitting headache. He massaged his forehead, suddenly feeling nostalgia washing over him along with an aching pain in his chest.

He shook his head, grumbling, "Not now!" to the trees, trying to concentrate but instead of obeying him, hundreds, thousands rained down on him.

Naruto gaped at his reflection, seeing the reflection of the darkening sky and moonlight nearly obscured by the autumn leaves. They brushed against one another, whispering secrets but the deformed words, a name, made his ears prickle when he heard.

**sasuke**

The wind picked up, blowing some of the trees back and if Naruto wasn't just imagining it—or going blind—he thought he saw the suspended leaves form the figure of a girl, before he could gather his wits, he heard his godfather's voice calling his name.

"Hey, brat!" Naruto jolted in shock when his godfather's large hand came in contact with his back. He scowled but Jiraiya merely grinned. "Something wrong?" the white-haired sage teased. A lecherous grin formed on his face. "Thinking about Hinata-chan, aren't you?"

Naruto blushed at the mention of his girlfriend. "No." And it didn't sound like a lie. He was thinking about someone else... someone much more important...

-_black hair, pale skin, onyx eyes that could spin red and so beautiful and deadly_—

But Jiraiya didn't buy it. He placed a hand on the younger male's head, ruffling the head of blonde, grinning fondly. His smile made his eyes crinkle, Naruto dimly wondered how did his father look like when he smiled; a sense of nostalgia filled his body, but the pang in his chest wasn't as great as when he thought about the pale girl.

What was her name again?

...Yes... the leaves called her Sasuke, that meant they knew something. He glared at the trees (he'd summon to beautify the place) accusingly, a silent promise of _you will talk_ but the trees ignored him.

"Come on, just a few months more and we're going back to Konoha," he winked. "and you'll be reunited with your girlfriend! So put your back into it and work on the exercise!"

Naruto glanced back, at the sad looking tree weeping.

He released the leaf in hand.

It was just an inanimate object, but Naruto felt as if he had let someone precious leave.

**-felony of himself-**

* * *

**A/N:** In the last chapter, only one person said they wanted Itachi to live. Didn't know he was so unpopular... O.o

And if you don't know already, I have two new Naruto stories up- too much free time- so do **R&R**! Also, this story now has a beta reader - if you hadn't noticed from the top.

**Answers to Certain Reviews:**

**Ame no Kageseo:**  
Dark chocolate? O.o I didn't make Hashirama talk to Naruto because... it has already been done already and since Naruto hasn't been impaled, hadn't died, how could they meet?

**Guest:**  
Thanks! Good to know that she isn't too OOC.

**Strife666:**  
Well, my bad XD I just love watching the characters struggle and suffer. Hehehee...

**adilah:**  
Did you know that you're the only one who answered? -amused- I'll still take your thought into account though.

**Guest:**  
Uh, no, didn't you read? It wasn't Sasuke- it was Kakashi's doing. O.o

**lucifur321:**  
Thanks for the offer, but as you can see, I already got a beta reader who's competent and capable of reviving my muse (which is the reason I'm updating this week actually).

**skycomv2:**  
I don't remember, but did I answer your long review in PM already? At any rate, thanks for the review and do leave another long review for this chapter -if it isn't too demanding-!

**David:**  
Uh, thanks.

**ExcecutionerKain:**  
How so? Do elaborate so I may explain to you- if you're still reading that is.

**mfmxxx:**  
Ooo... do you have a theory of Hiraishin of your own? May I hear about it? Might be useful for future reference.

**REQUEST:** Please spot my mistakes if you ever find any, and I find something lacking in this chapter- can anyone tell what it is?- I just don't feel satisfactory.

**QUESTION:** What's your ideal situation for Naruto and Sasuke to get together / have a happy/sad ending?  
I really am curious to know. I think that this is a really interesting question, so please drop me a review with your thoughts or maybe hit me up with a PM!

About my next update, well, my muse isn't well lately so maybe later than a week? O.O


	11. Chasing The Moments

**Felo de Se**

_written by Galesynch_

**CHAPTER 11: Chasing The Moments.**

A fifteen-year-old Naruto rested his head on his crossed arms behind his head.

He yawned but found himself unable to just turn in for the night. He twirled the piece of autumn leaf in his hand, he didn't know why, but when he saw another autumn leaf, he couldn't help but pick it up.

He glared at the dead leaf, wishing it would talk. He blinked, a splitting headache pounded behind his eyes, but for a moment—

Just for a moment, he thought he saw the words _I will bring him back_ but once he blinked, the words faded from sight. He exhaled, it was just an imagination but pain like no other stabbed his chest.

He twisted in his futon—he should be snoring away like his godfather was, it was rare they actually slept in an inn instead of the cold and hard ground or the tough wood of his Mokuton creation—closing his eyes and trying to sleep.

Outside, the trees whispered among themselves, secrets he didn't bother wanting to know.

Sometimes, he wished he wasn't a Senju, especially a Mokuton-user or the vessel of the Kyuubi. He just wished he could be a normal shinobi. He pouted, recalling when he was a child and when he'd introduced himself as a Senju, they had called him thousand-handed freak—

He scowled. Where did his ancestors get such a lame name anyway? It wasn't like they had techniques or really had thousand hands—

Wait. He could change that couldn't he?

Naruto sat bolt right, grinning mischievously when he saw his godfather snoring away.

He swung his legs out of the bed. He really wanted to improve his Mokuton, and his childhood trauma (which made him hate bullies) might just be the inspiration he needed.

**-felony of himself-**

Jiraiya didn't wake up to obnoxious snoring.

He squinted at the messily strewn sheets, then he spread out his chakra for his student's _lively_nostlagic_determined_ chakra. He caught it and held it, exhaling in slight relief when he senses the boy's chakra flaring as he trained. He sighed, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

Naruto's chakra had changed.

From _lively_carefree_happy_ to nostalgic. He pressed his lips into a thin line, he had been one of the very few (Kakashi, Iruka, Gai, Kurenai, Inoichi and Shizune were of the very few) who had voted for Naruto to keep his memories of the Uchiha, but he was outvoted. The Hyuuga Clan head had all but jump at the chance to have his daughter married to the Senju heir.

Jiraiya didn't like Hiashi. He didn't like Fugaku either—the Uchiha had punched his lights out when he had caught the sage spying on his girlfriend, Mikoto, but he supposed he deserved it. Still, seeing Mikoto was totally worth the beating he got from the woman's father, uncles, aunts and boyfriend.

He sighed wistfully when he recalled the long-dead Uchiha matriarch.

She was Sasuke's mother; anyone who knew Mikoto should know on first glance, the two looked alike. Just that Sasuke had sharper features, apathetic and colder than her mother and even more quiet and infuriated.

(And she didn't smile, Jiraiya thought but Naruto had once told him that Sasuke's smile was rare and sweet, a memory he chose to keep within the memories of trees and leaves and in his own minds, but he'd forgotten, hadn't he? What a pity.)

Jiraiya didn't exactly approve of the Uchiha but he could see, he thought he knew Sasuke wouldn't intentionally hurt Naruto. He thought wrong; well, partially at least. Sasuke could've easily shove a Chidori through Naruto's chest—there were tell-tale signs that Chidori had came very close—but she hadn't.

She had let him leave alive.

Jiraiya slid out of bed, not bothering to arrange she sheets and went about doing his early business. He stole a glance at the cloudy sky, smiling slightly when he saw the sad sky.

It was a suitable weather for sentimental days. Besides, the cloudy sky reminded him of his time in Ame and the Ame Orphans. He smiled slightly at the thought of his 'kids', they were an adorable bunch and even to this day, he could still see their sweet times together, could see and hear their laughs, smiles, tears and dreams.

Dreams which were crushed.

That depressing thought reminded Jiraiya how much Naruto resemble Yahiko—the boy who wished for peace and had died trying to achieve his dreams and goals.

Naruto's goal in life was to be Hokage. And, if he still had his memories, to bring Sasuke back. He'd die trying to achieve both and he wasn't scared of death.

Jiraiya didn't want Naruto to die.

So he had to let Sasuke go? That... that notion was ridiculous and impossible. Except, it seemed that Naruto truly had no idea of who Sasuke was. Kakashi's team had always been lacking a member; Konohagakure wouldn't question the disgraced Uchiha clan and what its last member was up to.

Tsunade had passed a notice to everyone, making sure that not even beggars or slaves were to speak of the Uchiha that had once been in Naruto's team.

It was a cruel thing to do.

Jiraiya couldn't possibly imagine being forgotten, he knew he couldn't bare it if someone erased his existence like that, and he detested it being done to others.

With how Tsunade made it, Uchiha Fugaku had only one son and no daughter or any other child. The rest had died in the Massacre and Itachi was the sole Uchiha left in this world.

Jiraiya thought his teammate was desperate and this was not a solution.

Bonds were not to be underestimated; Tsunade should know better. This was far too double-edged. Naruto cared deeply about Sasuke, he even made his strange Mokuton things remember, he'd caught his godson talking to his potted plant about Sasuke, a rather one-sided conversation in his eyes but to Naruto, the plant had to be saying something.

(Something's bugging him. Something wasn't right. What was it that he'd forgotten?)

When (because Jiraiya knew nothing would stop Naruto from remembering one of his precious people, and Sasuke was very high on the scale) Naruto found out, he'd explode. He'd snap and lose it, and might just join Sasuke as a missing-nin which was a big no-no.

He sighed heavily.

He hated this, hated being caught in the middle of such shit.

Sliding his sandals on, he started at a leisurely pace to where he sensed Naruto's chakra. He found his godson on all fours, panting and sweating.

Had the boy even ate breakfast?

"Oi, brat," he called, seeing the boy turned lazily to face him, blue eyes lidded. Naruto pushed himself but he stumbled back on his ass when he tried to use his legs. He rubbed his eyes, yawning which meant that he hadn't slept all night.

Rolling his eyes, he pressed the cool mineral water to Naruto's forehead. "Cool yourself down, brat," he said, grin in place but it dropped into a frown the moment he saw Naruto's stunned, wide-eyed expression. "Brat?" he called softly.

Naruto blinked, breaking off the trance and accepting the mineral bottle. Jiraiya did not miss how Naruto's fingers trembled as he turned the cap and gulped down the water greedily.

When he was done he stared blankly at the bottle.

Jiraiya found himself rolling his eyes again. "Please, it's not poison and I'm too old for pranks—Naruto?" The white-haired sage rushed to his grandson who was now doubling over, clutching his head, his blue eyes dark and wild, as if he was looking at something far past Jiraiya.

"What's wrong?" he yelled, shaking his godson's shoulders.

Naruto clutched desperately at his forearms, eyes pleading.

"Don't go—"

"I'm not going anywhere, brat—"

"Sasuke!"

Jiraiya recoiled, making Naruto lose his sense of balance. He stumbled but the Senju blinked rapidly, hand still on his forehead, but at least the pain and anguish was gone from his face.

The sage frowned. "Whose name did you call?"

Naruto hesitated. "Sasuke..." he eyed his godfather guardedly, as if he'd expect for the sage to hit him for saying the name. This wasn't the first time Naruto had remembered the name and maybe a few moments spent with the girl, and every time he questioned this, he was spirited away to a Yamanaka.

And Jiraiya had been instructed to use_ that_ to erase his memories again should he remember Sasuke.

His hand clutching the packet of powder tightened, his smile was as tight. "Who's he?" he asked, playing dumb.

Naruto frowned.

"That's the strange thing," the young Senju confessed, wrapping his arms around his bent knees, knitting his brows. "I saw the vague image of a girl, and yet the name's the masculine sort." He licked his chapped lips. "But I still think it's her name, even the trees seem to agree—"

"The trees?" Jiraiya echoed incredulously.

"Yeah, we share secrets, tell each other everything," Naruto pouted as he continued. "but these days, I sense that they're hiding something. I feel... left out. I think they're mad that I ain't investing in anything Mokuton-related or any Water or Earth jutsu. I've been pushing myself on wind jutsu after all..."

_Leave it to Naruto to care what trees think, and for him to characterize the trees._

Jiraiya sweatdropped. "So how are you going about repairing your lost bonds?"

The trees bristled and did the tree-version of a pee. Autumn leaves damn near buried Jiraiya who glared at Naruto. The blonde shrugged helplessly.

"Not my fault they acted so crazy—" Naruto didn't get the chance to finish his sentence as he was buried underneath a mountain of leaves. He emerged after much spluttering and cursing. He huffed. "See what I mean?"

Jiraiya wondered if the trees were plotting to overthrow the humans or something. He glanced at them warily, and if it wasn't any genjutsu, he swore he saw them grin at him. Hopefully, they just planned on overthrowing Tsunade and her fucked-up plan, not conquer the world or something.

Jiraiya grinned. "Come on, brat, pack up, we're heading out!"

Naruto nodded, slightly saddened and frustrated.

"By the way, what are you doing here so early?"

Naruto flushed slightly. "I was wondering if I could have a thousand hands..." Jiraiya blinked and he elaborated. "Well, I realized I could only change and extend my arms into branches. I couldn't grow any trees or plants from my body." He glanced down at his hands. "I barely understand my own powers... my kekkei genkai..."

"You really need to see Tenzo, brat," Jiraiya mused. "He's a Mokuton-user too. Not a Senju-born though, he's a... failed experiment of Orochimaru." Jiraiya blanched, cursing himself for being so careless with information and he darted a glance at Naruto in case that name triggered another memory (and he still wasn't sure Naruto having his memories or having them erased, which was better).

Naruto blinked, his face expressionless except for the innocent look.

"Oh."

"So, you want to grow arms around your body."

Naruto blushed, seemingly embarrassed though he only nodded and kicked a pebble out of the mountain path they were taking. "I think it'd be useful. If arms could really sprout out of any part, I can always deflect my enemy's blow." He cast his gaze further downwards. "And maybe... get the ability to extend them as long as possible..."

"Why?"

Naruto raised his palm, staring at it with a forlorn expression and Jiraiya cursed the Uchiha for making his precious godson feel like this even though she couldn't be blamed entirely.

"I..." he shook his head. "Nah, it's nothing. It's a stupid thought."

"Try me."

Naruto cracked a smile. "Yeah, the epitome of stupid."

"Hey! Show some respect, brat!"

Naruto laughed, the first normal sounding reaction from him and Jiraiya thought he'd forgotten when Naruto sobered with a sound that sounded like a sob.

"I just... thought that I have something... someone I need to reach..." Naruto extended his hands, staring at them with wonder and mild disappointment. "And I have a feeling I need more than two hands, a thousand hands perhaps, to keep the precious, precious creature close..."

He smiled wistfully. "Stupid, right?"

"No," Jiraiya said and it was true. There were times he wished he could have a thousand hands with never ending reach, perhaps, he could've catch that snake and then this wouldn't be happening. "I wish for that sometimes, too. I'll even help you develop the technique. I'm sure you'll succeed."

"Did you manage to keep what you want in your hands?" Naruto asked at length. It was an innocent question accompanied by an innocent face; Naruto blinked up at him.

He shook his head. "No, but I know you can do it; you're a Senju after all—gifted with thousand hands," he grinned as he ruffled the blonde hair. "Don't lose what you hold dear."

Naruto nodded, cheered up as he jogged forwards. Jiraiya allowed himself a sentimental smile before he pulled the forbidden drug out, examined it then grimaced.

_Sorry._

Naruto turned. "Ero-sennin?" he blinked owlishly. "You dropped the packet. Ya sure ya don't want to run after it now? These cliffs are dangerous. If you lose something, you'll never get it back ever again—"

"It's not important."

_Naruto's no longer your baby to coddle, Tsunade_, Jiraiya thought grimly. _It's time you let him go to chase after the woman he loves_.

**-felony of himself-**

Without the use of the drug, Jiraiya could see the changes in Naruto.

Naruto was confused but happier, still with that tad of nostalgia, still... he constantly confused the person in his dreams. Jiraiya thought the drug was too potent; Naruto mentioned a girl passing him drinks but as all memories of his real love interest, Sasuke, was replaced by Hinata, it didn't make sense.

He needed the drinks because they were having their team training.

Hinata was not on his team, thus, the confusion.

Then there was the constant spars he had with Sasuke. Naruto had been scorched many times by the Uchiha's fire, she was his training partner and sparring was their version of dating. Hinata never sparred with him, was too gentle and soft-hearted, and she had no affinity for fire (she was water-nature).

Without the help of drugs, the holes in his memories and Tsunade's plot were evident.

Naruto was starting to get suspicious and agitated that there were so many unanswered questions. He pestered Jiraiya to return to Konoha as soon as possible and truth to be told, the sage was regretting ever siding with Naruto in the first place.

He glared down at the brat. "Will you shut up about going back?"

Naruto scowled. "If you don't bring me back, I'll walk back myself."

Jiraiya considered that threat. He knew Naruto would go through it; it was actually surprising the boy stayed by his side for so long.

"All right... maybe if you show me you can... perform the Sage Mode—"

Naruto's jaw dropped which made Jiraiya smirk.

"That's crazy!" the Senju exploded. "You know I nearly turned into toad that time and many other times like that! What if I really become a stone?"

"I'm not done yet. Or maybe you can show me the technique you've failed to perform." Naruto scowled at the mention of his failed thousand hands. He had yet to summon any arms from behind his back or any other part of his body really.

"Whichever one," Jiraiya teased.

"Why don't I just show you my improved Rasenshuriken?" Naruto suggested weakly. "I can make more than two now—"

"No can do," Jiraiya said, shaking his head mockingly which earned him a glare. "Now, make a hut why don't you? With chairs and all the sorts? I need it."

He got a glare but Naruto did as told and stormed off to train. Jiraiya rolled his eyes, he was planning on bringing Naruto back in a few months, not now when Tsunade was planning on finding Sasuke and dragging her back. The Godaime wasn't planning on reuniting Naruto and Sasuke though, more likely the council just wanted the woman to have a bunch of Sharingan babies with their most promising shinobi.

He grimaced at the thought. If Naruto knew... kami, he'd massacre the council...

"Hey, brat!" Naruto turned, grumpy; he had his arms crossed across his chest again, a habit Jiraiya knew Sasuke had from what Naruto had said. "If you succeed, I might add a little treat." He waggles his eyebrows which drew him a disgusted stare.

"I don't want whatever knowledge you want to pass on to me, you pervert—"

"What a pity, I suppose you don't want to know more about Sasuke—"

"Give me a week," Naruto cut in smoothly, disappearing into the trees which curled around themselves, leaves whispering secrets Jiraiya wished to decipher but couldn't.

Jiraiya ducked into the Mokuton-made house before the vines chose to whip him or something; he had found out quickly that none of the trees liked him much and abused him constantly, it had gotten marginally better when he'd thrown away the drug. Jiraiya thought it was adorable for how the trees cared so much about Naruto, but a part of him which worried about trees dominating the world, told him how they even knew such shit.

The Mokuton was still a mysterious kekkei genkai.

But from what Jiraiya could gather, the trees came alive due to Naruto's chakra. Basically, the trees only acted with human traits because of a Mokuton-user.

So the Mokuton, as far as he was concerned, was a chakra-based-influenced kekkei genkai. Unlike the eye-based kekkei genkai like the Byakugan and Sharingan.

Come to think of it, the trees were getting all high and mighty lately, their pissy and bitchy attitude reminded him a little of Sasuke—

Wait.

He stared at the autumn leaves falling. Naruto, he couldn't possibly be forcing Sasuke's personality into the trees was he? Did he do it unconsciously?

Shit, if it was the Uchiha's personality, the trees would definitely go for world-domination!

It wasn't until later did Jiraiya realized he had fucked-up priorities.

**-felony of himself-**

While Jiraiya contemplated world-domination, Naruto was busy wracking his brains to gain arms around his body.

Not permanently of course, he would be deformed if he moved about with hands sticking out from every part of his body. He plopped down on the ground, crossing his legs and placing his hands on his knees, sitting perfectly still.

He tried to calm his mind and heart down, concentrating on nothing but the tranquil peace of nature around him. The birds and crickets chirping, the soft rustling of the breeze, the croaks of the toads and the wings of the ducks flapping, the way the branches creaked and the leaves fall—he absorbed it all in, the peaceful, overflowing energy—

Pain wracked his body.

"Gah!" He keeled over, clutching his abdomen where he could hear Kyuubi's roar. "What?" he hissed breathlessly. He scrambled to the edge of the pond, gazing down at his reflection—because, fuck, he realized too late he was gathering natural energy like he'd learned to do back at Mount Myoboku; and shit, what if he looked like a fucking toad—

He choked.

Where the whisker intertwined with vines marks were, they had merged and had lighten up, fanning under his eye; an odd red pigmentation under and around his eyes. A circle surrounding a smaller circle symbol was on his forehead and shit, did he look like a freak. Not all; his hair was longer, nearly reaching his waist and was not as gravity-defying as before, and had brown and green highlights.

He panicked. Oh no, he had no toad staff to reverse the shit, he was going to fucking turn to stone now—

He stopped his internal rant because he had noticed something. It wasn't just his face, he noticed the... sudden increase of chakra and he felt like he was the strongest shinobi in the nation.

What invoked such feeling?

Baffled but not wasting his time, Naruto plopped down on the ground, he closed his eyes and tried to reverse the process. If he garnered such in a tranquil state of mind, maybe he could turn his thoughts chaotic and exude everything, reject whatever it was he felt pouring into him.

Trembling, he tried but nature made it hard to feel frustrated.

He turned to his chaotic thoughts, the hell he'd been through right after he'd woken up in the hospital, heavily bandaged even though he felt no pain and couldn't see any injuries other than a severe concussion.

His mother had said that he had been in coma for weeks, which was why his injuries were already healed (courtesy of the Kyuubi). But he could tell that she was lying, her amber eyes weren't directed at him when she spoke, like she usually did.

Then he was introduced to his girlfriend and best friend: Hinata and Sakura and the rest of the Konoha Nine. He wondered why there was nine when there were only eight of them (and eleven if he included Gai's team). Later, he was told that one of the Genin had died recently in a mission.

He was slightly sad but as he suffered from amnesia (something was wrong) he had to file the information up for later, when he finally could put a face to the mindless, faceless and formless person in his mind. Then, when he'd finally found out who he or she was, he'd mourn for the death of a friend.

He wondered if her death was what saddened him.

(He also wondered how he knew the dead Genin was female, no one gave an indication he was right or wrong and he was simply confused with the odd and pitiful gazes he and Hinata got.)

Naruto had been overwhelmed. He remembered his childhood but the time he'd set foot in Konoha was blurry at best. His friends helped him patch things up and he remembered how he felt like shit for forgetting his best friend and the girl he loved.

(The girl he _loved_, not, _in love with_. He wondered what was wrong with thinking such but he didn't ask.)

It was confusing, walking around in a village with uncertain steps, he was supposed to know this village he knew he loved. Yet, whenever he tried to go anywhere, he needed to be guided, else he'd end up in the ghost and abandoned part of the village.

(He felt as if he'd been to the abandoned compound many times instead of visiting the Hyuuga Compound to find Hinata.)

Hinata was always there, she'd smile, tell him things would be fine and he foolishly believed her to rid the pain and confusion in his chest.

(The thrashing, caged and fooled feeling that was always there whenever he held her hand, and when she tried to kiss him, ruined most of the mood and her reassurances.)

Hinata was a pretty girl with lilac eyes and dark violet hair. She was his girlfriend and he was proud to be her boyfriend.

(So, why was it that, when he looked at her, all he saw was black hair and eyes of the darkest shade?)

Hinata was warm, cheerful, albeit shy and stuttered a lot and had the habit of passing out and blushing like crazy.

(He thought the girl he was in love with was cold, fierce and passionate in a fiery way and never ever gave in.)

Hinata was gentle when she treated his wounds and she was soft when she reprimanded him for sneaking out of the hospital.

(He got the sudden impression his girlfriend would yell at him for being an idiot and getting hurt, and haul him kicking and screaming back to the medic ward.)

Hinata always encouraged him with her words, promising him that she would always be by his side.

(He thought she and he would be back-to-back in battle, watching one another's back.)

All the contradictions when it came to Hinata and the girl in his dreams drove him crazy, it made him cranky and agitated, snapping and being unintentionally cruel.

(And he absolutely hated it when Hinata teared up when he yelled at her. Wasn't she suppose to yell back, punch him and beat the shit out of him?)

He tried to distance himself to calm himself, and Hinata always allowed him to be on his own whenever he wanted too.

(She wouldn't tolerate him avoiding her, she'd be standing by the doorway, leaning against a tree, glaring coolly at him, not caring that he wanted to be alone.)

Hinata listened to him, and whatever he wanted, she always gave: time, patience, kindness.

(She never listened, she'd snap back hotly and claimed she won't follow his order.)

It was stupid, it was foolish, he felt like a jerk whenever he woke up with the dream girl's name at the tip of his tongue. He felt like he was cheating on Hinata.

(Why did he feel like he was cheating even when he was with Hinata?)

It was even crazier to consider that, the girl he was truly in love with had never existed.

(Was it possible to forget your _girlfriend_ and fall in love with a girl that _had never even_ existed?)

Was he crazy? Was he delusional? How could he—

"Naruto!"

The boy jerked when his name was yelled right into his ears. He whirled around, scrambling backwards and nearly tumbling into the pond. He inhaled sharply when he saw his godfather's concerned face. He expected for his godfather to start screaming when he saw the strange new marks but when no outstanding reaction came, he turned to look at his reflection in the pond.

The marks were gone, and now did he realize how tired he felt, how drained, confused and anguished.

"I—" he glanced away from Jiraiya's searching eyes. "I'll call it a day. I'm tired. What do you need anyway?"

"Nothing," the white-haired sage said, shaking his head, frowning in concern when he saw his godson so troubled. "I just sensed a large amount of nature energy, just thought I might want to check it out in case anything happened to you."

Naruto released a huge breath.

He wouldn't meet Jiraiya's eyes and it troubled the older man. "Is there something you want to tell me?"

"No," he hesitated. "When... when I got this figured out, maybe." And he left.

**-felony of himself-**

Naruto found himself sitting silently, drinking in the peace of the forest and nature, in the span of few days, summoning the strange marks to his face again.

He wondered if this was Sage Mode, it felt similar, having to be sitting perfectly still and gathering natural energy for it to work. He had to experiment a bit before he could deem it one though.

There was also the promise Jiraiya had made him...

To grow a thousand hands.

"How?" he asked the breeze, the trees.

The winds blew in his ear, offering no answer but a comforting caress. He closed his eyes, trying to find answer within the natural energy he was sucking in—formless, mindless but comforting—

Could he control it?

If he could collect it, combine it, forcing its particles to multiply and then combine it with his spiritual and physical energy, give them a near-physical form—

"Yes! I got it!"

**-felony of himself-**

Jiraiya stiffened.

Warily, he set his cup of sake down and eyed the wooden hut for any threats. He spread his chakra around and he went even more tense when he sensed the large amount of nature energy.

Who was it?

It was familiar and similar to Naruto's, but it couldn't be the young Senju as he'd failed multiple times with the Toad Sage Form. Frowning, he got to his feet and exited the hut. He peered out warily, then took a few steps out of the place.

Naruto burst forth from the trees, a wild and mischievous grin on his face, he cracked his knuckles as he lunged at Jiraiya. The white-haired sage easily side-stepped the sloppy attack but Naruto laughed.

A bubbly and warm sound that tickled his heart and made it sound as if spring had arrived.

The air whooshed out of Jiraiya as he was sent flying. He wheezed, springing onto his feet and glaring at the brat. Naruto whirled around and even though he stood at a distance, Jiraiya could feel the air move and something heading his way. He stood his ground, deflecting the invisible blows with just his instincts—which wasn't much good as he got a few thwacks upside his head and Naruto was just grinning away!

"All right, brat, you win!"

The blows stopped and as the wild wind receded, he thought he saw faint, green outlines of enormous hands. His eyes widened in surprise.

"You did it?" he murmured in awe and Naruto nodded enthusiastically.

"No, not actually," he added after a moment of thought. "I only got three arms and they're huge. I need to control more." He regarded Jiraiya hopefully. "But I still developed the technique so can we—"

Jiraiya scoffed.

Naruto's smile dropped. "You could at least tell me about Sasuke," he seethed angrily.

"Oh, eh, where to start? She's pale, has black hair, black eyes—"

"I know that! I want to about what sort of person she is—"

"I dunno about her personality, except that she's bitchy, has a fiery temper and has no respect for me. But apparently, those are the qualities one idiot boy love about her, yeah, told me to stay away from her else he'll kill me."

"That's not very helpful," Naruto muttered but there was a glint of recognition in his eyes.

Jiraiya shrugged.

"Not my problem," he stood, cracking his neck and ignoring Naruto's pout. He placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and steered him into the hut. "Come on kid, let's eat dinner."

"No, not until you tell me more about her!"

"I thought you've got a girlfriend, why take an interest in other girls?" Jiraiya asked, challenging Naruto, and smirking slightly when he saw the dumbfounded expression on his face.

"I..." he seemed so lost that Jiraiya took momentary pity but then Naruto's face hardened. "I'm intellectually curious. Dreams are omens, both good or bad. I want to know if this Sasuke is a threat or a passing... odd occurrence."

Jiraiya rolled his eyes. "You don't even believe the shit you're saying," he grumbled but he only sighed loudly when Naruto continued whining and pestering.

He couldn't wait to teach Naruto Sage Mode then kick him back to Konoha for Tsunade to deal with. The memory block was weakening and it wouldn't be long for Naruto to break it completely and start a temper tantrum right in the middle of the village.

Jiraiya knew he wouldn't want to be around Naruto when he lost it.

As Naruto ate his dinner, fuming silently and giving Jiraiya the cold shoulder, Jiraiya checked with his network of spies, and to his alarm, found that Akatsuki had moved and had targeted the Kazekage. He stiffened, what if they're after Naruto now? Could Jiraiya keep him safe all by himself? He knew Naruto was strong, but was he strong enough to face down S-class missing-nins? Could Jiraiya defend them against the unknown numbers?

He could take on two or three S-class ninja without problem, but doing the defending and attacking? And what if they had a fucking army of S-class?

He glanced at the fuming Naruto and decided that the Senju would be getting what he wanted far sooner than he'd think.

"Hey, brat, eat up quickly and rest up, we're going back to Konoha tomorrow."

_Because having a village backing Naruto would be safer than only me._

"Wha... seriously?" his godson yelled in disbelief, mouth ajar and it elicited a chuckle from him.

"I'll also find out about this Sasuke you're talking about. Just... don't mention her to your mother or anyone else for the matter."

_Else she'll kill me_, he added silently.

Naruto blinked, tilting his head to the side innocently but he nodded, confused. "Sure." Every part of his being screamed to do anything and everything to protect his secret of Sasuke. "Anything."

Jiraiya stared at him oddly but refrained from commenting about that faraway and dazed look in his eyes.

**-felony of himself-**

Naruto grinned, spreading his arms wide and hollered his joy at being home.

"Senju Naruto's back -ttebayo!"

Villagers glanced up at him—their reactions varying from astonishment and disgust and fear—but he ignored them in favor of glancing at the five heads carved into the mountain. He grinned widely, someday, his face would be going up there too!

He glanced at the first, protruding head, hesitated and wondered why he couldn't take his eyes of the Shodai. Fortunately, before anyone could catch him staring at the Shodaime like a lost puppy, a voice called him.

"Yo, Naruto," Kakashi lifted a hand in a lazy half-wave, his single visible eye crinkled as he smiled. "Long time no see."

"Yeah!" the Senju agreed enthusiastically. "It's good to be home." He glanced around the streets, hoping to pick up a familiar face. He didn't realize how much he missed his friends back home until he was home, finally breathing the same air and walking within the same confines.

"Missing Hinata-chan?"

Naruto turned back to look at his teacher; only now, out of his chaotic thoughts, did he realize how forced the smile was and how pained his joking tone was when he spoke about the Hyuuga to Naruto.

He frowned. Maybe his teacher would slip and reveal something...

"Ne, sensei... who's the Genin that died?" he shuffled his foot nervously, ducking to hide his discomfort and to prevent his teacher from figuring out his true intentions. "I thought I would visit her."

"You're not particularly close," Kakashi said carefully, eye wandering around the village sights. "Momozono Nanami," he said after a moment. "brown hair, tawny eyes, short and small and no clan. Quite insignificant, why?"

"She's was once an ally, right? Can you take me to her grave?"

Kakashi laughed nervously.

"We met after nearly three years and all you have in mind was to visit a grave?" he chuckled, reaching forward and patting his student's head. "Why not another day, for today, we'll have a reunion, hm? Now, why don't you run along and find Hinata-chan?"

Naruto stared at him, cool and assessing and Kakashi wondered when did his adorably innocent student became so piercing and sharp. He was starting to remind him more of Minato-sensei and give the boy a few more years in this life of a shinobi, Kakashi had a feel he'd grow up to be just like Minato.

"Do you know a girl named Sasuke?"

Kakashi nearly tripped on air—a pretty much impossible feat.

"No," he said after gathering his wits in a matter of seconds. But it was still a few seconds too late as Naruto's eyes had already narrowed in suspicion. "Why do you ask?"

"I want to know if she's real or not," he replied listlessly, waving his hand like he wanted to declare the subject close.

"And if she is?" This was a very dangerous subject, Kakashi was practically going against his Hokage's orders and if she ever found out... well, he'd be screwed but not as badly as Jiraiya-sama who neglected to feed Naruto the pills. Knowing the white haired perverted sage though, he might have done it on purpose.

Naruto hummed noncommittally.

"Well, I just have to find her and ask why she's haunting my dreams, right?"

**-felony of himself-**

Naruto hummed softly, no no apparent tune as he strolled around the village casually.

A few tentative hands waved at him and he returned them with enthusiasm, a smile forming on his lips at the sight of the few open-minded villagers. Konoha would be so much more worth protecting if the villagers actually cared about him.

He knew the majority of them hated him, feared him for the Kyuubi he held; and he couldn't help the simmering anger at their ungratefulness—because _fuck_ he was the only thing keeping the Kyuubi from unleashing his rage on the village, where was the thanks he was supposed to be getting?

He shuddered, imagining what sort of treatment he would've received, what sort of person he would've become if he hadn't been raised by his mother outside of the village.

He figured that the villagers would shun him, talk shit about him and some of the assholes might beat him to vent their anger. He'd seen abusive husbands do this to their spouse, what's to stop them from hitting a demon child?

He sneered; if he'd been raised here, he feared he would've been a loud fool, who boasted about being Hokage with no real abilities sans a few jutsu, charge head first without a real plan, and try to hide his sadness behind the mask of a joker.

Naruto wasn't like that. Yes, he wanted to be a Hokage and he'd boasted—but that was because he knew he had the ability to be Hokage and a strong ninja. He always charge into things, yes, but he planned things out; yes, he hid his sadness so as to not worry others but he'd still lash out in the end.

He liked being Senju Naruto better than whatever 'insert clan name' Naruto there.

His life was perfect, except for the fact that he was missing one person—

"Naruto!"

"N-Naruto-kun!"

He turned.

His heart thudded when he saw the familiar pink-haired girl dragging a shy Hyuuga behind her. Hinata blushed a pleasant shade of red when she saw him.

He forced a smile, as small as possible to not arouse suspicion and to not seem as if he dreaded seeing them. "Hey," he said, instantly ducking a swap from Sakura. He arched a brow. "What's with that?"

Sakura huffed, a grin on her lips.

"That's all you can say after three years of not seeing one another?" she mimicked his actions, arching a brow. She nudged Hinata forward. "What do you have to say to your girlfriend? I'm sure you guys have a lot in stored for one another."

"...I..uh..." Naruto opened his mouth then he closed it from the lack of things to say. He felt awkward, he couldn't bring himself to look at Hinata, because every time he looked, he saw dark eyes instead of lilac eyes. "Sorry," he said. "Just... I don't really have anything I want to tell you." It was colder than intended, he thought he had a thousand things to tell his girlfriend, but when he actually saw her, he lost interest.

He had a feeling conversing with her would be like conversing with a wall because the girl he used to spend his time so much—

"I got to go," he added lamely, ignoring how hurt Hinata's face had become. "I want to see my mother and Shizune-nee. So, yeah." He lifted his hand in an awkward attempt of a wave and left, his back dissolving within the sea of people milling about and ignorant of what had just transpired.

"Oh no," Hinata whispered, hunching in on herself. "D-do you think h-he r-r-remembered?"

Sakura frowned. She had been all for Naruto forgetting Sasuke, so that, in a selfish chance that she might be with Naruto instead. But the council had chosen Hinata and the Hyuuga had her clan to back her up so she lost all chances with Naruto. Seeing Naruto so confused, trying to speak Sasuke's name and how he was trying to remember the Uchiha killed her, burdened her with guilt.

Now, she felt torn between letting Naruto be with Hinata or Sasuke.

It was pretty obvious he had no feelings for the Hyuuga, but for the Uchiha on the other hand... he'd changed. While the rest of the boys continued to goof around, he seemed to be really falling in love.

She licked her lips indecisively.

"He's a teenage guy, Hinata, he'll come around. You just need to start chasing the moments."

**-felony of himself-**

"Mom!"

Tsunade turned from where she was gazing down the window at her village—as surreal as it sounded—to where she heard the same, familiar voice. From a baby's gurgle, to a childish voice only from children, to a boyish and scratchy voice yet to hit puberty, to the voice of a grown man.

She couldn't believe how fast Naruto was growing. Soon, he'd probably start a family and have kids, giving her grandchildren—she didn't mind who he courted, as long as they're not self-destructive avengers hellbent on the deaths of big brothers—and _fuck_, was she getting old to be so sentimental.

Tsunade turned fully to have an armful of a blonde boy who had towered over her.

Tsunade blinked rapidly, feeling a surge of motherly pride when she saw her son all grown up. She could feel the flex of his muscles as he wrapped his arms around her and laughed, his voice deep but still so very young.

She pulled back, smirking wryly—a part of her wished Naruto was still a toddler that would come toddling to her and curl up in her lap for a nap, another part of her wanted him to grow up faster so that he would be able to protect himself—as she inspected him.

Naruto was tanner than before, undoubtedly taller and his voice deeper, but his eyes were the same: blue and deep. She blinked, looking into his eyes closer, she saw how old and sad his eyes were and she winced.

This was all that Uchiha's fault. Even if his mind had forgotten, his heart and body still remembered and she just wished that the Yamanaka would hurry and finish with that jutsu instead of having to rely on that half-assed drug and genjutsu and some mind-tweaking.

As always, whenever she thought of what she'd done—alter Naruto's memory—she felt that fluttering of panic in her chest; if he ever found out...

He'd go straight to the Uchiha, endanger himself and would stray from the path of light, and she'd lose her most precious person. Her son would self-destruct chasing a girl who had never even given him much thought.

It was unbearable, to think that she'd lose her son to some angst-filled Uchiha who's hellbent on her own destruction.

If only her son would see reason and that he'd just settle down with Hinata instead of chasing after Sasuke... which reminded her: the engagement Hiashi had been pushing for. She'd agreed, because in case Naruto remembered Sasuke, he would have Hinata to remember.

He needed to remember his responsibility for Hinata who was his soon-to-be wife.

She wondered how he'd react if she told him right now.

She scanned his enthusiastic and happy face, and decided that the smaller details could wait; now was a mother-son bonding time, she had so many fucking things she wanted to know about her son, how much he'd grown, how she could measure his growth and be proud of it.

She had to chase after the lost moments, else they'd be lost forever.

**-felony of himself-**

At the age of fifteen, going on to sixteen, older than when she'd entertained the idea, Sakura still didn't know much about love. She knew about familial loved and those sort shared between friends. But the bonds of lovers?

She still knew nothing.

Her childish crush on Naruto was gone, come to think of it, it was probably stemmed from the fact that she only wanted fame. If she had a boyfriend like Naruto who came from a great clan and had strength, she'd be popular and girls will be falling over themselves in jealousy.

Sakura winced, recalling how childish and selfish that thought was.

She didn't know about love, not even when she was supposed to be more mature than both of her teammates. But Naruto had a clash against the unknown element and he'd come back broken, a part of him leaving with Sasuke and that foreign emotion.

She had to tell him, about Sasuke and the moments he'd lost.

It didn't matter how she was practically violating the rules and she'd be in for hell when her master finds out, but she had to tell him.

She'd seen the pain and confusion etched onto his face when he confronted them about Sasuke, demanded to know more about her and why he knew her and yet couldn't even remember her.

She'd seen Hinata's devastated face, begging Naruto to stop and she'd seen how he'd snap, at the end of his sanity and patience he had for his friends.

If she didn't tell him now, she feared he'd do something even more drastic than beating the shit out of them all.

She hardened her resolve.

"Naruto," she called to get his name and he turned furious blue depths to her, searing her to the core and she thought Sasuke's glare was venomous. "About Sasuke..."

**-felony of himself-**

* * *

**Author's Note:**  
Unusually short, I know, but it's to leave it at a cliffhanger and increase the suspense. Haha... And also, to cut it short because I don't know how to make it dramatic if I continue. I want Naruto's explosion to be big - and good, but not to the bashing level.

BTW, if you're tired of waiting for the next update, you could always check out my new oneshot - "Replacement" which is a NaruFemSasu and slight KibaHina and onesided HinaNaru. Do **R&R** that story!

**Replies to Reviews:**

**skycomv2:  
** Yup, a lot of people agrees that HashiMada is canon. But, really, if it's canon, why are the SO LITTLE of this story?! Why can't anyone write one?

**Guest:**  
Thanks- though don't have an anxiety attack next time, LOL

**Guest:**  
The new oneshot is sorta a bitter-sweet ending that I was itching to kick out of my head and get my muse going. We'll see about the happy ending though a lot of people are voting for it, I'm still considering.

**BlueSoki:**  
I'll try to minimize the HinaNaru- even it'd break my heart.

**Guest:**  
Hope Naruto hears that XD

**Jyoren:**  
Oh, don't be too disappointed. He'll remember her soon enough- and his reaction will come next chapter!

**Guest:**  
Who doesn't adore Itachi? Yeah... I'll try not to make FemSasu as nutty as canon!Sasuke- he was hot, but his personality sorta ruins everything.

**ManlyMonk:**  
Did I answer your review in PM? I don't remember. -.-ll Ah, I'll just answer here anyway. For long reviews, I now answer in listing form (thanks a lot Syd):  
_ No idea, Sasuke didn't even seem to acknowledge the fight.  
_ Oho, you don't have to worry about Naruto's growth because my beta and I had already created jutsu for him and how to improve him!  
_ Yeah, surpassing Hashirama - that is to be expected, as long as he progresses properly instead of like canon.  
_ Unfortunately, the fact that men are stronger than women are very much true and applies to this story as well - applies to Sasuke and Naruto at the very least because I'm sure FemSasu could kick male-ass (other than Naruto's).  
_ Yes, Canon!Naruto is dense and never realizes Sasuke's true intention - I wonder why Kishi make him so... ugh.  
_ Finish Naru/FemSasu? Almost none anyhow. I already have a few endings planned out.

**DBZTF:**  
I use Hinata only because I want to torture her- do not be mistaken that I favor her in the least, please. In the end, it's still Naru/FemSasu and Hinata's heart cracking.

**dragonwolffox:**  
That, you have to wait and see, my friend.

**mendokusei:**  
Even in canon, Itachi has never received any form of justice- and I really don't want him to die. So maybe, just maybe...  
Mito just wasn't mentioned, but the bitch- I mean, Hashirama's beloved wife, definitely became Konoha's pariah.

**Saiyakitsune:**  
The words are entirely my mistake. And I agree, a sad ending seems more appropriate but I think I'll post two versions. Who'd want Itachi to die?

**ExecutionerKain:**  
The Naru/FemSasu pairing is all about tragedy and angst- so no worries about not seeing them.

**Steal-yo-Lunch:**  
How's Bone Deep coming BTW? It's been a long while! Ugh, even I couldn't wait to write the damn breakup - i'll try not to bash Hinata too much though.

**war sage:**  
Thanks XD

**Black Akuma King:**  
You just make me wanna make you cry. I don't judge you- but both endings are plausible at this point.

**lucifur321:**  
I answer reviews - short ones - here, I PM you my answer if you write a long review or you simply want it to be private.

**MizoreShiraiyukiFan:**  
You seriously have it all thought out huh? We'd see about your idea XD Thanks for the review!

**Strife666:**  
Hello, my first 10th chap reviewer! I totally love the idea of combining the Senju and Uchiha clan- maybe. XD

**QUESTION:** So, which is your favorite clan? May i know the reason why also?

**REVIEW!**


	12. Painful Reminders

**Felo de Se**

_written by GaleSynch_

_beta'ed by He-Who-Shall-Live_

**CHAPTER 12: Painful Reminders.**

When Nara Shikamaru caught the sudden turn of the conversation, realized what sort of path it was going down, he blanched. The very smart—but quite lazy—part of him, which was his common sense, yelled at him to get the hell out of Konoha before Senju lost it.

The other part of him which loved his village to death screeched for a way to put an end to this.

He cleared his throat loudly, but no one even spared him a glance; when he tried to speak, a sickening crack resounded, silencing him instantly.

_Okay, don't draw attention to yourself, Shika, try to sneak away very quietly.._

"What," Senju's voice was cold, unbearably apathetic, the underlying anger—no, the pure unadulterated rage, disbelief, resentment and hate—was so deafening Shikamaru wanted to flee, or fall onto his knees at the sheer amount of Killing Intent in the air. "did you just say?"

Every breath hitched, locked and never released.

"How..." He removed his fist from the table; Shikamaru jerked, taking a step back as the roots, barren of any leaes and menacingly black, started growing from the ground, wrapping themselves around him. "could YOU—"

The roar that followed was not human.

The Nara threw himself back, pressing himself deeper into the ground and wishing he'd ran earlier, to avoid the root which all but took away the roof and severed the upper half of the building.

Books from the attic storage rained down on the gathered shinobi, but it was nothing compared to the terror Naruto was.

Naruto had always had a short fuse, and when he snapped, it wasn't pretty—no one would want to be near him then. But that was before his training with the Kyuubi and his Mokuton-going-crazy mode.

Naruto's roar was accompanied by the breaking and crumbling of the earth.

"Run!" Sakura screamed, scrambling to her feet and shooting out of the window. Sai and Shikamaru (who had the bad timing to choose that moment to deliver his mission report) scrambled after her.

The Nara had been in such a hurry to escape the carnage within the Hokage's office—and _oh shit_ did they just abandon the Hokage—that he hadn't even looked down at the ground.

He swore he did not let out a girlish shriek when the roots shot out the ground, with the aim to decapitate everyone that had lied to Naruto and played along with the farce—which was the whole of Konoha and _they're_ fucking screwed. He drew his kunai, hacking away the vines and roots only to have one he missed sweep him off his feet.

Had Sai's ink bird not catch him, Shikamaru swore he'd have been the _First Victim Of A Mokuton-User Gone Nuts_ and he'd be a laughing stock—just because he was lazy didn't mean he had no semblance of pride—which was not an idea he was entertaining mainly because his mother will nag and he'd stand a high chance of dying.

The Nara released a huge sigh of relief when his feet found stable footing. He grimaced though when he saw the state of Konoha.

"Oh shit, we screwed up big time."

With brutal honesty, Sai smiled and agreed. "Yes. If Senju doesn't stop anytime soon, I suspect Konoha will sink into the ground."

Shikamaru grimaced, wondering how a shinobi could talk about the end of his village so cheerfully.

"We have to stop him," interrupted Sakura shakily, her hands trembling but she looked determined.

"Duh," mumbled Shikamaru as Sai's bird flew about the Hokage Tower, circling it and to his dawning horror, he watched as black roots wrapped around the tower, encasing it in its unforgiving grip and he heard the earth shake. He hoped the Hokage had escaped and was not trying to wrestle it out with her own son—

"Where's Hinata?" Sakura demanded sharply, eyes wild as she realized just now that the Hyuuga heiress wasn't with them.

"I was just about to ask," Sai added unhelpfully, his fucking smile still intact. "and answer that she's still in there." He blinked, tilting his head to the side, his expression honestly innocent as he added: "As stupidity counts as her character trait... shall I nickname her Stupid-Bitch? What do you think, Ugly, Lazy?

"_Shannaro_!"

"Sakura!" Shikamaru yelled in protested even though a part—well, it _was_ the truth after all, he was lazy and he was almost proud of it—of him viciously celebrated the punch. "We need him, don't kill him," he glanced down at the wreckage, at the writhing roots and weeds thrashing and crushing the nearby buildings. "and find a way to stop Senju before he crushes Konoha into nothing."

**-felony of himself-**

Inuzuka Kiba hadn't been involved in any way, shape, or form.

He'd heard about the memory change thing—his sister called it mind rape—and though he felt disgusted (how could they toy with people's memories, stuff that made them), and jealous (Naruto's love interest was replaced by Hinata who was hopelessly in love with the Senju who had no interest her and Kiba was there, _always_ there for her yet all she saw was...), there was really nothing he could do.

It was the law of the Godaime and anyone who broke it was to be punished, severely.

It was favoritism: how could a Hokage threaten her village for the sake of her personal stuff?

The Inuzuka Clan had not much to do with this generation of Uchiha and Senju.

Sure, he was intrigued (it'd been a long time since a Senju graced the village) and impressed (Uchiha may be a bitch but she was fucking powerful) but he was too busy with his own stuff to bother with them.

They made themselves scarce, even though Hinata subtly tried to find Naruto (it was love on first sight, yuck). The civilians were all too happy to point out that the Uchiha and Senju were always together down in the Uchiha district, doing who-knows-what, but they were considered an item.

Was Kiba jealous?

No, he felt excited for them instead—and this might be a chance to woo Hinata!

Then shit hit the fan; news came that Uchiha left the village, in her hate and rage, and Senju was going crazy. The speed he'd moved at to run after his girlfriend (better not mention this in front of Hinata) would've put the Raikage and the Yondaime to shame.

They'd failed to bring her back and since Naruto loved endangering himself, his mother had resorted to this memory-changing shit.

Kiba was too delusional from the painkillers, too busy trying to fend off the needles, and too injured to move to even bother with what was currently going on in his village.

He was shocked when he first heard the news but he just had to swallow it down and smile painfully when his mother came and told him everything, when Hinata cheered and smiled, when his sister comforted him with a smile almost as painful.

The decision had nothing to do with him or the rest of the Inuzuka for that matter.

So, why _damn it,_ why did the Inuzuka have to have their asses pawned too?

It wasn't actually entirely Senju's fault; some of the Inuzuka had their own garden with venus fly traps—it was fun to see the plants devour the bugs, but it was so not fun when a Mokuton-user went nuts, lost control and the fly traps grew three times an average human's size and started eating the clan!

Kiba swore his jaw was fucking _nailed_ to the ground.

It wasn't until his little cousin—Hoshi—screamed that he sprang into action. He dove forward, and tackled the five-year-old out of the way.

Not a moment too soon, he realized with a sigh of relief, hands momentarily loosening around the small girl who was sniffling, her young pup nin-ken was cradled carefully in her arms.

"T-thank you, Kiba-nii," she said quietly.

Kiba nodded, grinning to hide the worry behind his eyes. "Go to the adults brat, leave this to big ninjas like me!"

"Will you be back?" Hoshi asked, brown eyes shining with ill-hidden concern.

He ruffled her messy flaxen hair. "I won't die from a plant," he scoffed even though his tone lacked the conviction.

He'd just seen his older cousin devoured by one of the fly traps—which idiot planted that shit of a plant there?—and he hoped he wouldn't end up in the same situation. Didn't venus fly traps have something like acid in their guts?

Kiba had heard of many ridiculous ways a ninja could die; eaten by a fly trap was undoubtedly hilarious and he didn't want to be one of the prime examples of plant food.

He winced as a scream tore through the air as another Inuzuka went down the fly trap's throat (if it even had one).

"Come on, boy," he mounted Akamaru, grim determination setting in as they dodged a vine. "let's get this shit out of our house."

**-felony of himself-**

Yamanaka Ino had always fancied the shop her civilian mother ran. The flowers were of varying colors and of different important meanings. Harmless, beautiful decor and well-wishes.

Had any of the Yamanaka expected that the flowers would grow a mouth, fangs and all, and expand three times their sizes, they would've burned down the shop and all its flowers, regardless of the large monthly profit they made.

Holy shit.

Ino gaped at the monstrosity that was once the flower she was watering. The flowers which had cleaved her rooftop and were now plucking people left and right and crushing them, eating and whipping at anything that moved.

_Did flowers (if it was even a plant) have__tentacles?_ Ino wondered as she flipped backwards, drawing her kunai and slicing through the flowers with relative ease.

That was easy, she thought, brows climbing but a second later, she realized why it was so easy to cut through: it could heal twice as fast as it took to damage them.

Ino swore loudly, as she ducked and weaved through the waving tentacles, cutting and slashing as she tried to move the innocent citizens out of the way. Fortunately, the shop was close to the Yamanaka estate and it didn't take long for the Yamanaka—all with varying shades of light hair and icy blue eyes—to stampede their way out of the compound and defend the citizens.

It would've been a heroic and memorable deed...

...if they weren't swallowed the next second.

Ino knew that once the danger was over—once the wayward Mokuton user was dealt with—she would be rolling on the ground and laughing her ass off at this memorable day.

Now though, she thought grimly as she cut through another tentacle, she had to get rid of this monstrosity before she had the privilege to laugh.

**-felony of himself-**

Hyuuga Hanabi always had quite the imagination—as expected of any child her age—so, when her sister's garden of pumpkin gained mouths and fangs, she thought it was just her imagination acting up as usual.

She stared at the pumpkin she was supposed to be watering, bored and unimpressed; so this was all her imagination her mind could cook up.

She scoffed. "Boring..." she muttered as she poke it with the watering can. "I'd rather be training than dreaming about world-dominating pumpkins and crazy plants..." she trailed off when the pumpkin lunged and bit off the watering can.

Water came gushing out and Hanabi was left staring at the handle of the watering can—what was left of her sister's gardening tool.

Her mouth hung open slightly as she examined the _metal_ handle, her Byakugan activated instantly and she gaped when it was not a genjutsu and the thing was fucking real.

She jumped back when the pumpkins rose and dove towards her.

She took off screaming for help, barreling into her father in the hallway.

Hyuuga Hiashi had come running when he heard his youngest daughter's ungodly scream in what was supposed to be a serene day. He caught Hanabi as she stumbled into him, cheeks flushed from terror and the effort for screaming while running at the same time, and Byakugan activated.

"What's wrong?" he demanded, worst scenarios forming in his head because his youngest daughter was never this unsettled. "What happened?"

"Hinata-nee-chan's pumpkin..." she wheezed, body heaving as she hungrily devoured oxygen. "It grew!" she finished with a yell and all she gained was her father's unimpressed look.

"Don't be silly," he said sternly, dragging her back down the hallway she'd came from. "If you have the time to daydream about nonsense, I'm sure you will have the time to train..."

He trailed off when a pumpkin did its own version of a roar right in his face.

The sound was horrible, hollow and resembling a metal groaning—yuck, Hanabi didn't know plants could make such sounds—and both father and daughter barely jumped out of the way as it dove, biting off a huge chunk of wood and there went their beautiful roof made of the most expensive wood they could get their hands on.

The Hyuuga ran around, in a disarray and though Hanabi was confused, she was sure of one thing, at least: she was _never_ eating pumpkins again.

**-felony of himself-**

Uzumaki Kushina was just having her beloved date with her favorite ramen stand, conveniently avoiding Minato's son—apparently, he'd just gotten back from the three-year training trip Jiraiya had taken him on—because she wasn't quite ready to face the physical embodiment of her mistakes.

Naruto could've been hers, she would've been a happy mother and her son would've been happy, and she'd allow him to chase after the girl he loves with no worries because she knew he could handle himself.

She gritted her teeth; as the last Uzumaki, making her the clan head, she had been flabbergasted and had voted against the idea of the memory shit.

Unfortunately, she was outvoted by the Hyuuga and many of the other clan heads abstained—that put her at a serious disadvantage and eventually, she lost and had stormed off, pissed.

She hoped Naruto would blow up in Tsunade's face then, she'd thought that rather viciously, she just didn't expect it to actually happen.

Naruto was really, very, surprising, she surmised as she gaped at the destruction of her village.

Roots sprouted from the ground, writhing and angry and Kushina wondered if the trees were representing what was going through Naruto at the moment: his emotions, confused and angry and writhing about to escape the caged feeling of frustration...

Kushina snapped into action though when one of the roots lashed out, connecting with a building. She watched in horror as the concrete crumbled onto a young civilian child trying to escape.

"Kid!" she yelled, scrambling to the wreckage, ducking the attack and desperately trying to free the child. When Kushina got to unearthing the boulder to reveal the child's face, she swallowed thickly.

Death was a daily occurrence to her, especially if she was in ANBU. But even after all these years, seeing death in the form of innocent children, she still couldn't stomach it. The thought of, _what if that had been my child,_ always surfaced and at times, she felt disgusted at herself for having had caused children's death.

She closed her eyes, mourning and murmuring a quick prayer before she went back to unearthing the child.

Even if the child was dead, wasn't anyone particularly important, he still deserved a proper burial. It wouldn't be a tragedy for everyone, this boy's death because _one death is a tragedy, a million is a mere statistic_.

Kushina cradled the battered corpse carefully, eyeing the damage of her immediate surroundings. The busted water pipes gushed out gallon of water, already beginning to flood the area and the Uzumaki did not want to imagine the smell Konoha would be plagued with if the sewers overflowed. Yuck!

Then, even more alarming, Kushina heard the sparks of electricity. She looked up, seeing the busted power cables and cussed, loudly when she saw the power cables in contact with water.

Shit, she better run before she was electrocuted. Dying from that, in her own village because of her carelessness, fuck, what a lame way to die! And Uzumaki Kushina would never go out without a bang!

She turned to Ichiraku's Ramen, wincing when she saw it in ruins but she didn't see the owner and his daughter, which meant that they had fled already. Kushina made to follow, grimacing at the sight of sinkholes where the roots had emerged and had been dealt with by the pissed-off shinobi.

But still, too many, far too many civilians laid on the ground despite the shinobi's best efforts, listless and immobile; the sickly smell of death wafted up her nose, the scent of blood. Her time as Kyuubi's container had left her with enhanced senses even if the demon was no longer within her.

When gravity did its work, shifted even the smallest of rubble, and causing a chain reaction, she could hear the sickening sound of a skull cracking.

Kushina, in the middle of the wreckage, glared up at the Fourth and Fifth's face.

She respected both of the Hokage—heck, she was once in love with the Fourth—but if their son continued on his rampage, regardless of everyone's safety, she swore she'd turn her blade on him.

After all, this Naruto wasn't hers, wasn't her son so it wasn't too hard for her.

But, a sliver of her who was still hopelessly in love with Minato, hoped that those blue eyes will be turned away the moment her katana slit his throat.

Because he was hurting her beloved village, and for this offense alone, she _will_ kill him.

**-felony of himself-**

"Naruto-kun!"

Hinata stiffened when her call worked, when the boy she loved turned.

His eyes were inhuman, no longer the blue she'd loved so damn much—but a piercing shade of red, his eyes were slits but she knew he was still salvageable, she saw the blue in his eyes fighting to be let back in. The marks on his cheeks had expanded, looking like someone had clawed his face symmetrically.

He growled. "You... you lied to me!"

Her heart ached. "N-n-no, Naruto-kun, I didn't! I never—_I love you_—please believe me—!"

"Sasuke," he murmured, his voice cracking. "_SasukeSasuke_**_Sasuke_**—you lied—you're not her, you will never be—!"

"Naruto-kun!" she sobbed, lunging and grabbing his forearm, attempting to hug him but Naruto snarled, sounding so much like a wild animal and it made her heart break. He pushed her away roughly, his elongated nails digging into her skin, tearing cloth and _shredding_hurting_bleeding_ her.

"_Leave_."

"Naruto!"

Hinata turned, through teary eyes to see Tsunade punching her way out of the rubble and the trees; she looked anything but happy.

"What is the meaning of this?" the female Senju roared, pounding her fist against the already crumbling wall; all she did was help the deconstruction. "Stop this instant!"

Naruto, influenced by his rage and Kyuubi's whispers, snarled right back.

"And what _else_ have _you_ been hiding from _me_?"

"Naruto," Tsunade tried, reaching out towards her precious son who leaned back, taking steps back to restrain himself from hitting the people and everything in front of him. "I did it for you own good."

"I... I love her, why—"

"It's not love, Naruto!" Tsunade yelled, enraged, how could her son be so _damned_ foolish? It had to be from his paternal linage, damn that Minato! "Why can't you get it in your thick skull? Then maybe you wouldn't be so blind?!"

Naruto looked stunned but it quickly morphed into one of rage.

"Wh—"

"She's never loved you and you never loved her!" Tsunade snarled, seeing red at the thought of the crazy Uchiha taking her son away from her. "It's just obsession, Naruto," she took a few steps forward, her voice lowering to be more placating. "you claimed you loved her because she was the first to accept your secret about the Kyuubi and didn't shun you, right? Don't delusion yourself, Naru-chan, it's just... it's just a lie, she never cared, that's why she never changed her opinion about you—"

"No..."

Naruto's eyes were wild and glazed over as he stumbled back, just as the roof crumbled, the sunlight—so unfitting in the atmosphere—filtered in, blinding Tsunade for a moment but she didn't miss the passing look of fear that she was right and he was wrong before he was gone.

"Naruto!" she yelled, running over to the edge of the crumbling tower, ripping a root out of her way and peering down. All she saw was a blonde flash as the boy dashed off, towards a very familiar district she'd come to know—and detest—as the Uchiha Compound.

"Damn it," she cursed softly; all she wanted to do was to rush after her son and convince him, comfort him and hold him in her arms—reassurances that she wouldn't be losing him but the village needed her. She turned to the trembling, crying Hinata, and swore even louder.

Shit.

She'd really messed up big time.

**-felony of himself-**

He found himself rushing down a path, worn from time and lack-of-use, a path his fake memories convinced him that he'd never been to before but his body remembered what his mind didn't and he was guided there in the end, eyes taking in a scenery he hadn't seen in years.

_What am I doing here anyway? It's not like she's here..._

Naruto stopped, breathing raggedly as he stepped into the Uchiha Compound. This time, the place was truly abandoned and really, truly, lacked life.

His feet carried him to the main door. As he opened the door, as he stepped in, he felt the strange surge of nostalgia—momentarily taking him away from the rage and confusion and the hurt of being betrayed by his family and friends—and longing.

There was a dream, of him, older than he was now, stepping through these doors. But life, joy and family greeted him in his dream; of little kids with black and blonde hair and blue black eyes, they were beautiful—his and her children.

He inhaled sharply, the pang of reminder in his chest that the house was empty—no kids, no lover or wife. His bitter and harsh laughter caught in a sob; all he wanted now was to see her again, to be assured that she loved him and no one else—no matter how selfish that sounded.

He recalled the time when they first met after three long years, in Orochimaru's lair, he'd seen true disappointment in her eyes, had seen the look of shocked hurt that his mouth stupidly blurted out _who're you_ and he knew it had stung her badly.

She'd been so pissed off, hurt, that she'd attacked him and his teammates.

He'd defended them then, but now, he sorely wished he hadn't stepped in and let them get the beating from Sasuke.

_Hey_, a rational part of him said, _Yamato-taichou and Sai had nothing to do with it_.

Naruto grimaced, recalling how he'd deflected the attack meant for Sakura and proclaimed that no one hurt his best friend. The hate, resentment and shocked hurt had brewed even more when he'd yelled that out to the world and how much he regretted it now that he knew the truth.

Not the whole truth, just partially, what else had been kept hidden from him?

Will he know?

Despair, so much like when he was confronted with his friends' and family's betrayal, resonated within him, his chakra going crazy again, seeking, searching for someone who could empathize the _painhurtsadnessanger_—

Naruto stumbled, leaning and curling himself into a ball under the closest tree in the Uchiha Compound, the leaves rustled, as if it wanted to wrap its arms around him and shield him.

_-someone's memory invaded his own, the pain and tear in his chest was so great, the sheer pain and _what on earth have I done_-I _killed_my clan-_

He glanced up at the poor-looking tree, half of it barren of leaves due to the lack of care and he realized that every tree surrounding the compound was in the same poor state. He placed his hand on the tree bark, feeling the rough texture but finding the connection calming. He poured his chakra into it, pulling the tree's chakra in return, forming a connection as he scoured for a memory.

The trees must've seen something, anything about Sasuke, the moments they'd shared in the Uchiha Compound, beneath this poor large tree that was once a cherry-blossom tree and_there—!_

Being a tree, or looking from the point of view, was not fun.

Naruto could do nothing but stare and stare, he did what the trees did, watch and remember, collect the memories and kept them hidden and wrapped up behind their barks.

He saw -_a boy, wielding a katana as he plowed through the struggling Uchiha like a mower through a lawn_- and Naruto realized, through thesluggishness of his mind that was now connected through a tree, and that this memory the tree was showing him was the night of the Uchiha Massacre.

What was the point of watching this? Yes, he knew that this night was what created the Sasuke he knew and loved and cherished—it did not mean he wanted to watch it in detail.

He was about to pull away, detach himself from this tree's memories when the tree insisted (talk about being pushy), pushing him forward and he saw -_tears streaming down the murderer's face, and his lips forming words that sounded suspiciously like sorry_-

He pulled back, wrenching himself forcefully away from the memory.

He'd seen enough.

He placed a hand on his throbbing chest, a thousand questions brewing as he scrambled up the roof, watching Konoha from afar. He saw his plants calming down, but still very much on a rage.

_What have I done? To my own village—_

**and what have they done to you?**

Naruto pressed his lips into a thin line when Kyuubi's voice, not so pleasantly, sneered in his mind. He turned away; the fox spoke the truth and he didn't know how to confront, how to act around the liars he'd called family and friends.

He didn't want to stay here.

He wanted to find Sasuke.

Staying in the village with the faces of liars, far away from the object of his desire and affections, was not an option.

The Senju landed on the ground, turned down the path his Uchiha had taken long ago, and left.

**-felony of himself-**

"Kukukuku... My, how interesting." His golden slitted eyes darted to his beautiful apprentice, licking his lips in anticipation. "Did you hear the informant, Sasuke-chan?"

"...Hn."

"No?" Orochimaru chuckled maliciously, turning to face his apprentice. "Well, he just said that Konoha's in a disarray from a certain Senju losing it over his lover and memory being tampered with." He leaned forward, his breath brushing the cold Uchiha's ears.

She made a face he couldn't see but could feel.

"They say Senju Naruto is classified as a S-class missing nin, same as you, Sasuke-chan..." Another chuckle that was absolutely creepy and disgusting. "Are you going to greet him?"

Even after three years of having to endure the asshole's presence, she still found it hard to stand still and let him talk and molest her; she had contemplated killing him many times now—as if she'd give him her body and heir; she nearly barfed in his face when he mentioned it to her—but she'd never found the appropriate chance, time and reason.

She had use for him, should Konoha ever try retrieving her—like the unpleasant meeting earlier—she could push him towards them and leave to deal with her own problems.

Thinking and replaying the meeting with Naruto made her fists clenched; she gritted her teeth in anger. Either that bastard played dumb, was a fluke and was totally insincere to their bond—

_What bond?_ she challenged herself. _You chose to sever__all ties, he's chosen the same thing - he has the Hyuuga now. Your bond means nothing now. It's nothing but lies_.

She'd accepted it the moment she stepped foot in Orochimaru's lair. She just didn't accept the fact that Naruto might just let it be—but why did she care either way? She didn't care, she never did.

So, why did she feel like screaming to release the pain in her chest?

Sasuke tuned back in to what Orochimaru was saying to ease the pain, to take her mind off the unpleasant thoughts running around and what she heard from the Sannin nearly made her run a sword through his chest.

'_I suppose Naruto just cast you away when he thinks you're not worth it, hmm? He probably thinks your pretty looks and powerful clan and abilities are easily replaced. Are you disappointed Sasuke-chan? Don't be, you still have us here, don't you?_'

The Uchiha gritted her teeth, willing the emotions on her face away; there was no fucking way she was going to let that snake know how much it got to her.

She glared venomously, her eyes spinning with hate and anger into the Sharingan.

She had no more use for this old fool. She was stronger than him, she had no need for a shield; it was time to go after her wayward brother and complete her goal, and then, maybe, just maybe, she could die with the man that had once been -_and still might be_- her beloved aniki.

_Just one more time..._

Sasuke turned to Orochimaru who had moved on to another shelf, ignored her as usual, and was flipping through a book of seals.

She raised her hand.

"**Chidori Eisō**."

Much to her disappointment, but no surprise, her electrical discharge only grazed the snake-man's arm.

She sighed softly, eyes looking lazily to the side. "This will be troublesome, quoting a Nara." And she lunged, her chokuto out and flying through the air as Orochimaru rose to meet her.

**-felony of himself-**

**-felony of himself-**

He didn't know how long he walked, didn't know how long it had since he'd left his village—but from the rumor-mill he'd involved himself in, it seemed that he was now a missing-nin - joy—and he was lost.

Not that he didn't know the direction or anything.

But—and he detested repeating what his sensei had once said years ago, teasingly—he was lost on the road of life. He'd just went batshit insane in his village, possibly injured and killed shinobi of Konoha, and crushed buildings—he didn't think he was welcome back at home anymore.

That thought hurt: there went his dream of being Hokage (unless his mother chose to be lenient and managed to convince the council; which was unlikely).

Naruto's fists clenched at the thought of Konoha. He knew he shouldn't be so mad, should've been in more control than let the Kyuubi and Mokuton overwhelm him but that was what he did; he regretted it... slightly.

The other, more vicious part of him roared that it was fair, that they deserved to feel his wrath.

_No one fucking messes with Senju Naruto unless they've got a fucking death wish._

He chuckled at the headline, imagining carrying it about written in red blood as he stood on top a pile of bodies.

He winced at the image, he must be missing Sasuke so much that he was starting to think the same as she.

_Sasuke..._

Naruto's fists clenched around the piece of paper he held, releasing a deep breath, he retrieved the note, and smoothed it out for the nth time. He studied it intently—because the paper couldn't be a dream, an illusion like his reality was not too long ago, and his fingers trembled as he held it, this little sheet of paper held his hopes and dreams.

He'd learned to work Ero-Sennin's network of spies and this hideout was the only one the spies had gotten. Naruto skidded to a stop on top of the waters, squinting his blue eyes at the rocky cliffs before him. He didn't know how the spy got the idea that there was a hideout here, off the coast of the Land of Waves.

Without any eye-seeing doujutsu, he couldn't do much but scout it on foot.

He didn't mind, whatever the case, he'd find Sasuke. The people in here must know about the Uchiha. Orochimaru moved about monthly, changing from one hideout to another and Sasuke followed the snake wherever he went.

Naruto grounded his teeth even harder at the thought of it: that Sasuke might be a willing slave to Orochimaru, and fuck, did he want to kill the snake man himself.

_That asshole_, he growled silently as he rounded the cliff, and punched it, imagining it to be Orochimaru's face he was pounding in but all he achieved was trying to get himself killed by rocks. Naruto sighed, cracking his knuckles and getting ready to break the rocks into little pieces but when nothing came, he frowned in suspicion.

He turned around and that was when he noticed it.

A silver of emerald in a middle of a cliff.

Naruto knew his luck was damn good, but to reach the secret hideout by punching randomly? He stared blankly before an elated smile graced his lips; time to beat the info out of the guys inside.

Naruto contemplated knocking, then he screwed subtlety because he doubted these guys would cooperate even if he go about it diplomatically. With a chakra-enhanced kick, he brought the metal door down. It was heavier and sturdier than he expected but it was still nothing; it crumpled like a tin can beneath his foot.

He arched a brow when he heard a feminine shriek from behind the doors.

"Oh," he said quietly when he saw the fearful red eyes gazing back up at him. "I didn't know a lady was behind the doors. Were you planning on unlocking it?"

She nodded fearfully but then she brightened, as if she hadn't been nearly squashed moments ago.

"Ah! You're sent by Orochimaru-sama, aren't you?" She grinned, grabbing Naruto's forearm and dragging him in, babbling nonsense. "I knew you were coming—"

"You _did_?"

She nodded enthusiastically. "I'm Karin, by the way. I suppose you're new since you actually have to punch the cliff—that's what newbies—"

It was the perfect opportunity to use her and squeeze all the information he could get out of her. But he was already a missing-nin, there was nothing else he could do to get him even more targeted.

Smirking slightly in thought of her face, he said, "I'm not with Orochimaru, in fact, I'm on the opposing side."

As he expected, the girl tensed up and turned, comically and mechanically to him, a shocked and fearful look on her face and it was so bad he burst out laughing.

Karin flushed as red as her hair. "Don't make fun of me!" she yelled, adjusting her glasses and pouting.

Naruto wheezed. "Jeez, it's nothing; relax." He sobered instantly when Karin made to continue the tour, apparently convinced that he was just joking about not being with Orochimaru. He pulled on his serious face, to emphasize his point. "I have a question: where's Uchiha Sasuke?"

Karin pursed her lips, evidently unnerved and displeased.

"That's the thing, you see..." she said slowly, lowly as her eyes darted about nervously, like she was looking for a hiding enemy. She leaned forward conspiratorially. "They say that Uchiha Sasuke, Orochimaru's prized apprentice, killed him." Naruto's eyes widened in pleased surprise but Karin mistook it as concern.

She grinned and elbowed him. "Don't be silly, Blondie, Orochimaru-sama's too strong to die at the Uchiha's hands! Ya don't have to be so worried about losing your job," she added, humming as she strolled down the hallway. "I heard that Uchiha-sama will be coming here, or so our informant says anyway, we could be wrong but since you're the representative sent here, I suppose she's not going to be here..."

She sighed dreamily. "I've always wanted to meet her."

Naruto's lips twitched upwards at the dreamy expression; so Sasuke had fangirls as well? "Why?" he asked.

"She's Orochimaru-sama's favorite! She's everything I want to be: famous, powerful, beautiful... nah, man, I'm just so jealous!"

Naruto's eyebrow twitched. Was the girl dense or delusional to be denying the blatant truth?

He shrugged; whatever the girl made of her reality had nothing to do with him. If staying here and enduring Karin's quirky presence meant that he could see Sasuke in the end...

Heck, baby, he'd crossed an ocean (literally on foot) for Sasuke, what would waiting for a few more weeks would do?

**-felony of himself-**

Tsunade was ready for vacation.

Never mind the fact that she was Hokage and can't slack off—especially when her own son had gone crazy and was now MIA. He wasn't in any part of the village, all the chakra sensory-nins had tried their luck and she knew her son wasn't an expert in hiding his chakra.

Which only meant one thing: he had abandoned the village.

The Senju Hokage sighed, closing her eyes and resting her forehead on her joined hands; she didn't think her son would take such drastic measures. She raised him her whole life, how could she not know?

Tsunade glared at nothing in particular, wishing and her hands were itching for a bottle of sake to soothe her headache and to erase the damn knot in her throat—she wasn't fucking crying damn it. Tsunade reached out a hand to wipe the wetness off her cheek—they weren't tears, it was just fucking hot and she couldn't stop sweating.

"Tsu-hime?"

Her amber eyes widened, turning to face her long-time friend. She scowled, subtly rubbing her cheek and blinking the blurriness from her eyes. "What are you doing here?" she demanded, still angry that he had been part of the reason why Naruto remembered. Thinking about it made her fists clench; for old times' sake, she restrained herself from ripping his face.

"I heard," Jiraiya started hesitantly. "about Naruto." He winced soon after. "Didn't think the little guy will go so crazy?" To emphasize his point, he looked pointedly out of the window, at where the remnants of Naruto's summoning were being burned.

"This is all your fucking fault," Tsunade snarled, enraged and this time, she really pulled her arm back and punched.

Jiraiya easily sidestepped, pursing his lips.

"How so?" he challenged in a rare moment of seriousness.

"If you'd done what I told you to—he would still be here! He'd still be my son!"

Jiraiya's nostrils flared. "And now, he isn't?" he challenged coldly. "He's your son, you should let him do what he wants instead of stopping him—"

"Oh, so it's my fault now, is it?"

"Yes!"

The two Sannin stood at a standstill, neither giving in.

Jiraiya glared furiously at his female teammate he was very much in love with. "I am not speaking out of sympathy or to spite you, I'm speaking from experience."

Tsunade sneered.

"What experience?"

Jiraiya met Tsunade's eyes evenly. "You called Sasuke blind, you said she was destructive and ignored what was clear before: that there's someone there who cares about her and still loves and is willing to die for her, that she's not alone. You're as bad as Uchiha."

Tsunade's cheeks reddened. "_What_?!" she gritted her teeth. "This is not funny—"

"You don't see me laughing, I'm serious, and you're as blind as her: Naruto stood before Sasuke as I'm always standing before you," he blinked owlishly, his face eerily blank of any emotion. "Have you ever _noticed_, Tsunade?"

**-felony of himself-**

Sakura could just taste the tension in the air.

That was an impossible feat, which said a lot in itself.

The green-eyed ninja shifted nervously on her feet, her eyes flitting from her shisō's stormy amber eyes to the woman's best friend. The white-haired sage didn't have his trademark perverted grin, in fact, he looked unusually serious; the tension in the air was mainly because of them.

The rest were emanating from the rest of her friends.

Aburame Shino sported a bruise on his face, which was already patched up. His hands were bandaged and if anyone took it off, one would see the unusual bite marks—courtesy of the venus fly traps that migrated to the Aburame Compound from the Inuzuka Compound.

Needless to say, Shino—and the rest of the Aburame clan—were unimpressed; they were pissed off at both the Senju and Inuzuka for a week since the incident and Naruto's subsequent disappearance.

Sakura was all for heading out and looking for the wayward Senju but the village takes precedence first and she needed to help with the repairs. With the loss of one Mokuton-user and the more effective user, it was hard and Yamato-taichō was worked to the ground in the repairs.

Sakura on the other hand, was worked to the bone in the hospital, treating the casualities of the Senju's rampage. There were more than expected, but it wasn't that which bothered her. It was what the victims said—about her teammates—and well, Sakura didn't have the best of patience.

She ended up socking the guy on the face and was suspended from the hospital—fortunately, Ino replaced her.

She felt guilty for her actions but she didn't regret them; no one talked shit about her team and get away with it. Even Kakashi-sensei was dragged into the badmouthing.

("Son of the White Fang, what a disgrace, he raised those kids didn't he?" "Hmph. The Senju Clan has really fallen, he's truly the demon." "Don't even get me started on the Uchiha... did you hear what the siblings did?")

Sakura had never felt like spitting fire before. She damn near beat the living lights out of the villagers who'd spoken; fortunately, her mother dragged her away from the market before she could lose it there.

Sakura swore she'd bring her teammates back, and this was the time.

"This is a retrieval mission but it's ranked S-class," Tsunade started, her voice throaty, her eyes looking at anywhere but the occupants of the room. "You are to seek out Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Sasuke and... and Senju Naruto. I've summoned all of you"—her eyes flitted from Sakura, Hinata, Kiba, Shino, Sai and their two leaders: Kakashi and Yamato—"because I feel this mission require elite ninja and all of you fit the criteria."

"Who takes priority?" Kakashi asked, for once his nose wasn't buried in his orange book.

Tsunade struggled, it was obvious she wanted to scream at them to bring her son back, the Uchiha can go screw themselves as far as she was concerned.

"Uchiha Itachi."

Sakura blinked at the answer; she was sure her master was going to say Naruto's name. "May I ask why?"

It was Shino who answered her. "It is convenient this way. Why? Sasuke is after Itachi and Naruto is after Sasuke," he sounded exasperated as he said this, and if his glasses weren't hindering their sight of his face, Sakura swore he'd be rolling his eyes. "By capturing Uchiha Itachi, we'd be luring both of our targets into Konoha."

"Where they'd be able to cause more damage," Kiba inserted sarcastically. "Right."

Kakashi tapped his hair. "Now, now... no need for the sarcasm. We get your point, though I do agree with you. Hokage-sama?"

Tsunade heaved a sigh.

"The village is damaged enough already, I don't see why we should even bother hesitating." Tsunade shifted through her files, frowning. "Before you leave, I must inform you that there is another person joining in your search. They'll meet you at the Gates when you're ready to move out in two hours time. Any questions? No? Dismiss."

The newly formed team exchanged uncomfortable glances. As they exited the room, unsure of many things, it was Hinata who spoke up.

"We need to stop Sasuke," she murmured breathlessly, her lilac eyes distant and glazed over. "she's going to ruin Naruto."

Sakura bit her tongue, refraining from commenting and she felt the metallic taste of blood in her mouth; when had their bonds grew so distant and broken?

**-felony of himself-**

Sasuke couldn't wait to get to the Southern Hideout; there, she'd get one Uzumaki Karin and if the reports were true, she was an excellent chakra-sensor, healer and was annoying enough to deal with Suigetsu.

The Uchiha glared at the Houzuki who winked flirtatiously at her, failing to be attractive with the pointy shark teeth, he managed to look like a deranged man and had Sasuke been interested in starting a conversation or a pointless argument, she would've voiced her thoughts out loud.

She had no interest in bantering with someone she'd planned on using and casting away once his uses were over.

She squinted, her Sharingan making out the crumbled door and cliff; it looked damaged and she pursed her lips, wondering who had beaten her to conquering the place.

She glared coldly at Suigetsu who grinned back at her.

"Get moving, faster," she spat coldly as she pushed on a burst of speed. Her fingers twitched in preparation of a particularly strong Katon jutsu in case someone jumped her. She knew Orochimaru had many enemies even among his followers and word of his death would definitely reached them by now.

A rebellion might have started and Sasuke wouldn't have that.

Now that Orochimaru and Kabuto were dead (what a pity, not!), she was, technically, the next in line for Otokage. The village was under her even though she had no interest in ruling, and what Uchiha Sasuke couldn't tolerate above all, was backstabbers and disloyal assholes.

Sasuke drew her chokuto, electricity dancing across the metal blade as she took a cautious step in. She gestured Suigetsu to follow her and he did so, surprisingly silent as he advanced in.

He didn't have any weapons but the water-boy was confident in his martial arts, and he could definitely kick ass with just fists and kicks—if he played dirty, of course.

He grinned, revealing shark teeth when the metal bars holding all of Orochimaru's experiments and prisoners were retracted. He glanced at his temporary leader who nodded sharply and together, they dove into battle, slicing and killing and snapping and punching.

Suigetsu had never had so much fun in his life!

Following Uchiha Sasuke was undoubtedly one of his best decisions!

Now, if only he could get his hands on one of Kiri's prized swords...

**-felony of himself-**

He was bored.

Usually, when Naruto was bored, he'd play pranks but he didn't think Orōchimaru's minions had any sense of humor like the Konoha villagers did.

_Why am I always thinking about them?_

Naruto growled, frustrated at himself, at his inability to not care. That village tricked him, lied to him but—there was no denying it was his home he'd come to love and cherished, it was lie to say he hated that place instantly.

Even Sasuke hadn't hated Konoha.

She'd left merely because she had her own goals Konoha would hand to her on a silver plate. She didn't seek the destruction of the village like some did.

There was still hope to bring her back, Naruto told himself every night, every moment his mind dared to venture into the forbidden corners of his mind.

"Ano, Naruto-sama?"

The Senju cracked an eye open to gaze up at the Uzumaki. Apparently, Karin was truly an Uzumaki, the last of her kind along with this Uzumaki Kushina chick Naruto barely remembered meeting. Naruto's heart ached in sympathy and empathy, he knew the feeling of being the last of one's clan; he and his aging mother were also the last of the Senju, Sasuke and Itachi were the last of the Uchiha and if all of them keep up with what they were doing right now, Naruto had a feeling the Senju and Uchiha clan will truly end.

It was funny how a clan could be so powerful one generation, and would be reduced to nothing in the next generation.

"Ne, Karin?"

The Uzumaki jumped, blushing and Naruto wondered why she always did this. "Y-yes?"

"Do you know how the Senju clan came to an end?"

Karin blinked, taken back by the strange question. "Oh, well," she adjusted her glasses, pursing her lips in thought—from the short few days they'd gotten to know one another, Naruto noticed that this was her particular habit along with the occasional fangirling, yelling and daydreaming. "Orōchimaru-sama has some information, but it's merely an assumption."

Naruto blinked, tilting his head to the side then motioned for her to go on.

"They say the Senju clan's fall started during the Second Shinobi World War. Hanzō who gave Senju Tsuande, Jiraiya and Orōchimaru-sama the title Sannin was said to be at fault," Karin grinned, leaning forward conspiratially. "They say he injected a poison to the Senju he'd fought with, it's said to cause infertility. I guess the lack of reproduction killed the clan slowly."

Karin shrugged uncaringly, making Naruto see red for a moment before he recalled that she didn't know who he was so he shouldn't be so insulted.

"By the Third Shinobi World War, the Senju clan's already gone. Along with the Uzumaki clan..." Karin added sadly, sighing as she turned her gaze away. But then her eyes lit up as she recalled a particularly juicy bit of information. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Orōchimaru-sama's going to kill me for saying this but, they say Danzō of Konoha was in league with Hanzō—"

"_What_?!" Naruto roared, jerking into a sitting position.

Karin nodded, mistaking his emotions as excitement instead of the shocked anger.

"I know, right, but it's to be expected. The War Hawk wanted to be Hokage but the Sandaime had already chose a Senju as his heir; I think he was pissed, but," Karin shrugged again. "I wouldn't know. We can't be sure as all information concerning the demise of the Senju are unclear at best. I can spout it in detail of the Uchiha's demise though."

Naruto shook his head weakly, settling down again and staring out at the window overlooking the ocean. He pursed his lips in thought as a wild, impossible, incredulous idea started sprouting.

"Say... do you think the Uchiha's demise had something to do with—"

"Danzō?" Karin snorted. "I wouldn't be too surprised," she grumbled bitterly. Naruto stared at her; recognizing the tone of hatred and he cocked a brow. "When the war that wiped out Uzushio broke out and my village was being attacked, Konoha was meant to send help but Danzō stopped the Sandiame from acting, he said it wasn't worth it..."

Naruto didn't have much interaction with Danzō other than the occasional glances and nods of acknowledgement they shared. And even then, Naruto didn't see anything in Danzō he liked and his mother warned him away from the man or he'd be regretting it.

He believed her and he didn't care much about an old man with one foot in his grave already anyway.

"Is there any concrete proof?"

Karin wrinkled her nose. "Of the clans he helped crush? Which one? Uzumaki? Senju? Uchiha?"

"All."

"The first two are assumptions, there's no concrete proof and even if there were, the old hawk definitely destroyed them and killed every witness. Besides, the people who might be witness, or any proof had been swallowed by time. But the Uchiha can be investigated, the lead can't be too cold..."

"Then, can you?" Naruto looked hopefully.

"Investigate?" Karin pursed her lips—for the umpteenth time, Naruto noted with mild amusement—and Naruto nodded, looking at her with imploring blue eyes he knew no one would be able to resist. Karin resigned herself to hours of research when she saw her crush's eyes use those puppy eyes on her. "Fine," she said then she winked flirtatiously. "But I expect payment for this."

Naruto winced, grin turning sheepish and stiffening for a moment. "Haha..." He scratched the back of his head as Karin skipped out of the room. "Oh, hey, wait!"

The redhead turned, an eyebrow raised.

"Didn't you call me earlier? Did you need something?"

"You look deep in thought," Karin admitted, pushing her glasses higher to perch more comfortable on her nose. "I was just curious as to what you're thinking."

"Oh..." Was he that obvious in his thoughts? He considered Karin; she had been an honest and best-friend material lately, way better than Sakura had been and Sasuke wasn't there. "I was just..." he stared at Karin, hesitating before he decided to trust his distant relative (after all, the Uzumaki were related to the Senju, right?). "Just thinking about someone."

Karin's face fell a little. "A girl?"

He nodded hesitantly, his cheeks flushing slightly and Karin couldn't help but think he looked adorable.

"Break up?"

Naruto considered that. Well, he had fought with Sasuke—it was undoubtedly a fallout, just more violent than the usual lover spat.

"I guess you could say that."

"Need advice?"

Naruto smirked, seeing the perfect opportunity to tease his friend—the only one he had at the moment so maybe he wouldn't take it too far. Heh. "How would you ever know?"

Karin flushed at the jab and scowled.

"I'm a girl too! I would know how the girl feels!" she crossed her arms, pouting slightly. "With how you act, I'm pretty sure of the reason why you guys fought."

"Ah... we nearly killed one another, created a landscape in our fight, too," Naruto said, grin dimming at the memory as he traced the scar that had never left his chest. The scar he absolutely refused to let Kyuubi heal to perfection. "I... it's asphyxiating to be so fucking close yet so damned far—"

"Is she here?" Karin interrupted, frowning as she skimmed through the list of females he might have a relationship with.

"No, but last I heard, she was coming." Naruto looked away, disappointment clear on his features. "She was supposed to be here days ago," he clenched his fists, determination brewing in his eyes. "If she doesn't come in a few days, I fear I might have to leave..."

"Why?"

The Senju laughed sheepishly. "Ahaha... I have some enemies you don't want to meet." He winced, neglecting to mention to his redheaded friend that his current enemy was his mother and her army of ninja that would be dragging him back kicking and screaming. "If I stayed too long... they'd be attacking here and hurting everyone and I don't want that..."

Karin blinked; it was rare to meet one of Orōchimaru's minions who actually cared about the people under him. Karin found that this quality of Naruto was awesome and she liked it best about him: how he appreciated them instead of berrating them like Orōchimaru did.

If there was really a rebellion, if the rumors about Orōchimaru-sama being dead, Karin promised herself that she'd be following Naruto and no one else.

She smiled.

Naruto saw and beamed back. It felt nice, to just forget everything and bask in the presence of a sincere friend. Then he winced when he recalled that he hadn't been particularly honest with Karin either.

He hadn't even bothered to clear up that he wasn't one of Orōchimaru's servants. He winced, imagining the look of fear on her face should she ever realize and he felt selfish, he didn't want to lose the only friend he had now...

"Is something wrong?"

_Yes, there's something very wrong. Sasuke isn't here, I'm not in Konoha and—_

"It's nothing," He forced a smile to make it seem genuine that he wasn't bothered. "Here's your answer. A bright smile on a perfectly carefree day!"

Karin rolled her eyes, seeing through the blatant lie easily.

"It's better to not hide your pain..." she scrutinized her friend carefully. "What's wrong?"

"It's just...everywhere I go, it only reminds me of her."

Karin remained silent, casting her gaze downwards; she had no answer to that.

**-felony of himself-**

* * *

**Author's Note:**  
So, no replies to reviews except to the Guests since I had already reply personally to everybody. Last chapter had the most reviews, but alas, still wasn't enough to hit the 200 review mark -sighs-

All right, my beta **He-Who-Shall-Live** helped me a great deal with this—I'd suggest you check out his stories in the future since he said he _definitely_ had a Naruto story coming.

**BTW:** I have a **new Naruto story up**, a Cat!Fem!Sasuke/Mokuton!Foxy!Smarter!Naruto. There'd be some Uchihacest, ha, well, Sasuke's the bastard child of Fugaku in the new story, and it's totally AU. It's called "Beyond Lies" and do **R&R**!

TO **_EoP_:**  
I do care, the last chapter was unbeta'ed, so it's like that, all the chap are like that except for the last few which were beta'ed. Uh, Naruto has the Mokuton remember? It automatically gives him the Earth and Water element (which is required to perform Wood Release). The Wind is his _natural_ affinity. Yes, she has the Fire affinity and a little for Lightning, the latter was brought out by her continued use of Chidori and other Lightning techniques like you said so yourself.

TO**_ Shiki no Mai_**:  
Ah, I'm intrigued myself, by Konan's technique. Well, I had the assumption she was from the Senju Clan and she has the Mokuton y'know? Since, papers are made out of trees... I thought she had an advanced form of Mokuton... Hm, this concept is being applied into my other stories. Thanks for the review BTW!

TO **_Guest_**:  
Nah, this chapter takes place after the meeting with Sasuke in case you can't tell. The tree thing was just a bonus. Hm, nope, not yet. Haha, I already have Itachi's fate mapped out.

TO **_Guest_**:  
Your thoughts? Did you see this coming? I meant this as a surprise and I'd be seriously disappointed if everyone expects this already. T.T

**QUESTION**: Who's the two most despised Naruto characters? Care to elaborate?

**REVIEW!**


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